Because of Compassion
by omnomnomnom195
Summary: Sakura never dreamed she'd be rescued by an enemy, nor that she would return the favor. But if a man like Itachi Uchiha could look past their differences and see the real her, then maybe she could too...maybe. ItaSaku
1. Hope For The Hopeless

Sakura knew, without an ounce of doubt, she would not miss from this close a range.

They'd gotten the target pinned into a corner in the cave of a mountainside, and now it was her turn to execute her side of the plan. Render the enemy incapacitated, and then take him to Sai to be delivered back to the village for questioning. It was simple, so easy a Genin could complete the task.

That is, if she didn't have two Akatsuki members breathing down her neck every few seconds.

It had been a struggle simply to break away from the unanticipated new arrivals that had come to take their assignment. While she aimed to capture, apparently the goal they sought was to deliver a swift execution. The guy was rumored to know quite a bit about the Akatsuki organization, in hindsight it did make sense that they would run into a couple of its members trying to get a hold of him. Tsunade knew it was a large possibility, and had sent them knowing they would be able to handle it.

Still, why did it have to be those two?

Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha were not foes to be taken lightly and even less so to fail a mission. Ever since her fight with Sasori, she'd come to picture the majority of Akatsuki members to be just like that.

How wrong she was. Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha were nothing like Sasori.

This was exactly why it had taken them so long to get the target in the right spot. Kakashi had decided the best plan was for Sai and Naruto to take Kisame, while he would try and handle Itachi. That left her to take on the target. Each attempt to pin him had been rendered futile when either Kisame or Itachi managed to get in her way, despite being "taken care of" by her teammates. She'd very nearly had her arm severed by Kisame in her last attempt.

Now though, she had him. This time, no one would get in her way.

Charging chakra into her fist she reared it back, giving a wry smile. She hesitated just enough to see the panicked look on the targets face, and then she launched it forward.

Everything was moving so fast, faster than her eyes could follow. One second she'd been aiming a well-deserved punch at the target, and the next her fist had met thin air.

At least for a moment.

The space he'd been occupying against the mountain side was now left wide open and unable to stop her movements in time; Sakura felt her hand slam against the rock.

In that moment everything fell apart.

The resulting vibrations against the mountain traveled up, to the rock and snow towards the top. Within seconds a loud noise could be heard, like a stampede heading down the mountainside at top speed. With their superior senses all the shinobi knew what was coming.

Avalanche.

From her position at the mouth of a cave Sakura could feel the vibrations, and some of the rocks above them were crashing to the ground. Suddenly the ground did not feel so steady, almost lighter under her feet.

Kakashi was already calling for a retreat, and Sai was moving after him. She struggled to find her balance against the rattling, searching for the safest path out of the cave mouth.

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled. She could barely hear him over the noise, but his form was a short distance away. He was pointing to something, something behind her.

She didn't have time to focus on that because in front of her was the target, with a paper bomb lit in his hands. The avalanche was almost upon them. If she went after him now she'd be caught up in it with him, but that didn't matter. They had to capture him!

"Die, Leaf ninja." He spat.

Her foot hardly rose from the ground before the man dropped the paper and a loud noise overshadowed the falling snow and rocks around them.

For a moment Sakura didn't understand what had happened, but then when the ground left her feet and she felt a rush of air beating at her face she realized what the man's true intention had been.

He'd blown up the cave ground under her, and now she was falling into the mountain.

Years of training had prepared her for free fall situations, but she couldn't seem to recall anything that would help her. The wall was close, so close, but she'd fallen to far from it to touch. To slow her descent she'd have to be able to touch the wall first, and then latch herself onto it with her chakra.

Though, it was doubtful at this speed she'd be able to accomplish that, even if she could touch the wall.

'Quick Sakura think', she jabbed, starting to panic. Naruto always made clones to carry him to other cliff walls and hold on, but her chakra was to worn down to make the amount necessary to stop herself. Sustaining them would also be difficult. She didn't have any jutsu like Sai's to create birds, and her summoning contract would do little good for her in this situation.

With her options running out Sakura turned back to the wall, which was actually closer to her then it'd been seconds ago. She reached; stretching out so far it hurt physically.

As soon as her hand touched the wall she yanked and crashed into it. Now instead of free falling in the air she was rolling down the rock wall, painfully fast. With all her strength she pushed her right hand against the wall, stopping her bodies spin and sending a searing pain through her arm.

Then her left hand latched onto something, and she felt a jerk before her shoulder ripped to pieces under her skin. The sudden halt slammed her body against the cliff wall, and she felt disorientation for a long moment before her senses slowly started to come back to her.

First she observed a thin layer of ice coated the rocks along the side of the wall, creeping into each crevice. Through the blistering pain in her right arm Sakura could feel the bone chilling flare of cold seep into her skin. The jacket she'd once adorned had shredded to pieces against the rock side, small tendrils of its remains clinging desperately to her blood-soaked skin.

She winced as something wet slithered down her head, crossing straight over her left eye lid and down to her mouth. It was salty, metallic, the familiar taste of blood. She hadn't hit her head, had she? No, she'd of definitely felt that.

A grunt above her pulled her attention upward, to a sight that shocked her to the core. Itachi Uchiha, her enemy, was gripping the hilt of a kunai slammed into the rock with white knuckles. A gash on the side of his head was bleeding profusely, and tiny droplets fell from his chin, brushing her face. His eyes were closed, whether from pain or concentration she didn't know, and he was leaning more toward the right then seemed sensible.

Until she caught sight of his free hand, which was gripping hers so tightly she hadn't been able to feel anything from the numbness.

In a second she understood. The sudden stop, the searing pain from an assumed (now confirmed) dislocated shoulder. Itachi Uchiha had effectively stopped their descent, and taken hold of her hand in the process. A move that had most likely saved his life, as well as her own.

But…why? How? She hadn't even known he'd fallen in with her? How could he have…?

Naruto, he'd been pointing behind her. She hadn't turned around, but that must have been it. Itachi Uchiha had been behind her while she was trying to pin down the target, and had got caught up in the broken cave floor as she had.

That still didn't explain how he'd managed to maneuver himself in such a way that he'd effectively halted their fall. Or even why.

Another grunt pulled her back to the present situation. Itachi's grimace now seemed more pained, and the kunai was shaking from its place on the wall. With his wounds it must have been difficult to focus enough to slam the kunai hard enough to stop them. Then to grab and hold her too, especially for this long, it was taking its toile.

Sakura looked down; gauging the distance downward they'd fall if he released the kunai. It was so dark, she could scarcely see further than fifteen feet down. She squinted, making out a small shape in the dark that looked much like a ledge. Big enough to fit the both of them. Was it stable enough for both of them though?

Sakura raised her injured arm, clutching the side of a crevice in the stone wall as tightly as she could. The wound burned on her arm, screaming in protest when she started to lift herself as best she could. Forcing the pathetic remains of her chakra into her hand and feet she pressed herself fully against the wall, attempting desperately to stick herself to it. When she didn't start to slide as expected she let out a relieved breath.

She felt the hand holding hers start to shake, and knew Itachi was losing his battle to hold on. Her sudden lack of weight had helped tremendously, but it would only be a matter of moments.

She realized in that moment she could save herself. Drop to safety and leave him to fall to his death. He deserved it; after all he'd done to Sasuke, to Naruto, to everyone in the village. He was a traitor, a murderer; no one would fault her if she did. In fact, it would be a service to the shinobi whose lives had been taken at his hand.

But…he hadn't let _her_ fall to her death. It would have been all too easy to save himself, and forget about her. As her enemy it would have been expected of him. Instead he'd saved her, and even now he still hadn't released her hand from his vice like grip.

For whatever reason he decided she was worth saving.

Maybe something inside him was worth saving too.

"Uchiha," she rasped, her throat feeling a bit tight," there's a ledge fifteen feet down. Release the kunai and I'll lower you down."

The man in question moved his head downward, finally opening his eyes. Instead of blazing red they were onyx, a true testament to his exhausted state. What's more they weren't meeting her gaze, instead staring in her general direction, like he was simply reacting to the sound of her voice.

Then Sakura remembered what Kakashi had told her a long time ago about the Sharingan. The more the mangekyo is in use, the more rapidly ones sight begins to deteriorate. The darkness surely didn't help, but she could make out his form perfectly fine. Perhaps Itachi's sight had deteriorated so much he wasn't even able to see something right next to him.

"Your arm." He brusquely replied, squeezing her hand. He must have been referring to the injury she'd acquired from the sudden stop. It would be nearly impossible to keep a hold of something heavier than herself with such a painful injury, but she wouldn't give up. Sakura Haruno didn't just give up.

"I can hold out for three seconds. I need you to trust me."

Itachi seemed to weigh his options, looking toward his shaking hand on the kunai, then down to Sakura. When he reached a conclusion he nodded his head.

"I'll trust you, kunoichi."

Without another word he released the kunai, falling straight down. For the second time Sakura felt her arm snap and she bit her tongue until it bled to halt the scream begging to escape her mouth. Itachi hung limply in her grasp, gazing upward toward her. She took a deep breath and released the crevice she'd been clutching so desperately.

Her feet held solid against the wall as she bent backwards, lowering Itachi painfully slow. By the time she'd stretched out far enough to where her back touched the wall he was only a couple feet from the ground.

She nodded her head and he released her, landing with a thump against the ground. The ledge didn't even quiver.

Sakura however was shaking all over, feeling her muscles protest against the excess strain. One foot slipped, hanging in the air perpendicular to her body. As her last bit of chakra faded from her foot she fell straight toward the ledge.

"Oof!"

Sakura winced, feeling the wind knocked out of her chest. She'd been falling face forward, and whatever had caught her had done it by the waist. She felt herself being carefully lowered to the ground, and when she gained her breath back enough she raised her head to stare at Itachi. He'd saved her again, albeit painfully, but safe all the same.

"Ow!" She hissed, feeling all the pain rush back into her body at once. The wounds on her right arm, the dislocated shoulder on the left, and now a burn on her right thigh she hadn't paid any attention to before. She was in pretty bad shape.

But Itachi was too from what she could tell. That head wound was certainly nothing to play around with, and it looked like he was favoring his left leg a bit. Just as her jacket had been ruined his cloak was shredded as well, so bad it barely clung to his form. They had both survived something that should have killed them, but they hadn't avoided injury.

He reacted to her exclamation with a glance in her direction, trying to see what might be wrong. Once again she reminded herself he probably couldn't see, and while she didn't exactly want to share her condition with the enemy it didn't seem as if he would be able to take advantage of the situation. They were both in the same rut; chakra depraved, injured, and cold.

"I think my shoulder was dislocated from the fall," she murmured, lifted her hand to her arm. "I don't have enough chakra to heal it, so the natural way will have to do."

Normally Sakura had little difficulty dealing with pain, great or small. Dislocated joints were simply a part of being a ninja, and she'd done her fair share of realignments on herself. Now though, with the throbbing pain in her right arm, pulling on her left to fix the damage would certainly worsen her wounds, if it didn't send her into unconsciousness first.

Being unconscious with Itachi Uchiha wasn't at all an option. He may have had pity on her enough to save her from the fall, but that didn't mean he wouldn't take advantage of her venerable state if she were to black out. The only option left was to ask him for his help, or leave the shoulder as is. Both options were unappealing, but as a medical ninja she knew what the obvious choice was.

"Uchiha, I need your help."

He didn't reply, waiting for her to continue speaking. His eyes seemed much softer in the dark, different then the eyes of a murderer. She must truly be delusional to be seeing such things, or otherwise the pain has altered her perception. She sighed heavily, stepping a little closer to him.

"My joint needs to go back into the socket properly, and I'm in no shape to do it myself."

Luckily he seemed to understand what she was asking for, and gripped her elbow with one hand, and her hand with the other. He paused for a moment, seeming almost reluctant to go through with the action, but then just as quickly jerked with all his might.

This time she did scream, and loudly. The resulting pop signified the joint was returned, and the job was done. Black dots filled her vision as she dropped to her knees, cursing loudly.

'Pain is temporary'; she chanted in her head,' it'll all be over soon.'

"Can you continue kunoichi?" Itachi asked. He'd assumed a position a few steps back from her, turned opposite the direction she was facing. She looked beyond his form, noticing a dip in the ledge leading downward. The path was narrow, but wide enough to fit the both of them.

Did he intend to continue downward? Wouldn't it be more productive to wait here for help to come? If they went downward, there was no guarantee they'd find a way out. Shouldn't they wait for their strength to return then try and find a way back up from where they fell?

Wait no. She did not just think 'they'. Both of them had made it to solid ground. They didn't have to spend any more time in each other's presence. They could return to normalcy, enemies, and tread separate paths. Her friends would find her soon and he could find his way out of here alone and meet up with his sadistic partner.

Everything could go back to normal, without the confusion of lines being crossed, grey areas. No, Itachi Uchiha was the enemy through and through. She would not stoop down low enough to follow him through this cavern.

When she didn't reply he started moving, his hand tracing along the wall. She just watched, angry. Why was she so angry, and at herself. She should be happy that he was leaving, happy that that murderer was going to probably end up dead in these dark tunnels. He deserved it for what he did.

Before she started to settle against the wall for her long wait she looked one last time at Itachi, specifically his hand against the wall. A line of red rested along his palm, and the skin was torn in places, bleeding. The hand he'd held the kunai with. The hand he'd used to save them both.

She made the mistake of looking upward, now toward the part of his face she could see. That gash, he hadn't made a big deal out of it but a head injury like that would certainly have some dangerous results.

It was a sin. A sin to want to help him. A sin to want to follow him.

"Wait." She found herself saying. His form froze, but he didn't turn around, hand steady against the wall. She forced herself up shakily on two legs. Her head spun for a moment, but settled quickly as she narrowed her eyes on his back. "I don't like the idea of joining you, but I think if we're both going to make it out of here alive we need to work together to do it. So I'm calling a truce, at least until we make it out of this place."

"Words mean little kunoichi," Itachi muttered, looking back toward her. She frowned, clenching her fist only to hiss at the pain that brought. "There would be no point in my attacking you now, even if I were physically able, so regardless you have nothing to worry over."

Sakura blanked. Did he just openly admit he was too weak to fight her? She never imagined the revered Itachi Uchiha would so openly admit his faults, and to an enemy no less.

He must have really thought her weak to give such information away without worry.

What an insufferable…

"Very well," she said curtly, brushing past him to start down the ledge. "I'll lead the way."

Itachi made no argument, following after her. She felt nervous with him so close behind her, but was able to hide it. With her good hand she fumbled in her pack, praying she still had her flare on her. Satisfaction flooded her veins when she felt it around her fingers. She pulled it out, placing it in her other hand before digging around again for some matches.

Her blood went cold when she came up empty.

It only got darker the further down they went. If they continued this way soon they wouldn't be able to go anywhere. They had to have some form of light or they would be stuck standing here or searching futilely through the darkness.

Without warning a hand snaked around her shoulder, taking the flare from her hands. She spun, pinning Itachi with a glare.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't reply, instead closing his eyes and bringing the flare close to his face. She was about the repeat herself before the smallest of flames spewed from his mouth, lighting the flare in his hands. Without a word he handed it back to her, and she frowned, noticing an abrupt change in the Uchiha.

His shoulders were hunched from the effort, and he was breathing raggedly. If she didn't know any better she would say he was forcing back a cough. His face was paler then she remembered and it looked like he wouldn't be able to move another step without crumbling.

The medic inside her instantly went to action.

"Ok we can't go anywhere until we get you taken care of. Sit down."

Surprisingly he complied with her demand, moving into a seated position against the wall. When his eyes closed she worried for a moment he might pass out, but he stayed awake. She kneeled beside him, brushing away the black hair crusted to his face with blood. The gash on his head had to be taken care of first. It would be a real problem if that got infected.

She tried to feel for any semblance of remaining chakra in her body, hoping to find just enough to heal the major damage. What came was hardly enough to bind the tissue back together, but it was more then she'd hoped for. With that taken care of she slid her hands down to his tattered cloak, ripping a long piece off. By this time Itachi had opened his eyes and was watching her every move. She wrapped the piece around his head, settling it over the wound gently.

She was startled out of her thoughts when he spoke.

"Medical ninjutsu suits you."

Deciding to continue the conversation, if only to distract him from her work, she answered him.

"What makes you say that?"

"A compassionate heart is a trademark of a true medical ninja. If you did not possess such a trait, you would not have made it as far as you have."

Sakura frowned at the comment, wondering why her enemy of all people would be telling her this. Compliments were not something she often received from anyone, let alone a foe. It was disconcerting to hear it so plainly from his mouth.

His eyes held absolute sincerity though. The warmth in them was so different from the naturally cold look he possessed. She traced the frown marks on his face, not surprised that there were no opposite marks to indicate smiles. No doubt his smiles were a rarity and she wonderer for a moment how he would look if he smiled. It would stick in her mind, no doubt.

"Compassion is also a weakness." She retorted, moving to bind his bleeding hand with another piece of his cloak. She couldn't be more a fool, thinking about his smiles and sincerity. Itachi didn't have the heart for such things, and she shouldn't even be considering them right now.

"Perhaps it is, or perhaps it is just in the way one uses it." She froze, gaze questioning.

"What do you mean?"

"You're strength; it requires intense focus of your chakra and is usually driven with powerful emotion behind it." She nodded, feeling strangely entranced by his words. This was the most she had ever heard him speak after all. "If you tried to land a punch with compassion behind your swing, the result would be less then desirable. In the same manner if you tried to heal someone with anger behind your actions, you would not possess enough focus to channel your chakra correctly. Medical ninjutsu without compassion is not possible, it is simply a weakness."

The way he'd explained it, made perfect sense. Something Sakura had always considered the weakest part of her, something that always made her the weakest of her team, had actually been her greatest strength. She'd focused so much on what she'd been doing wrong; that what she did right had slipped right past her.

Itachi Uchiha had known all along what she hadn't. How did his insight reach so deep that he'd seen right through her?

The question bubbled in her brain, making her question further, just why had he saved her? What could have compelled Itachi Uchiha to risk his own safety for that of an enemy?

"Why?"

"Why what, kunoichi?" He sounded tired, but there was no hint of impatience in his voice.

"Why did you save me?"

It was quiet for a moment, and Sakura wondered for a moment if the Uchiha had actually succumbed to unconsciousness, but finally his eyes opened and looked right to her.

"Was my compassion a weakness?" He answered simply, never once taking his eyes from hers. She felt awkward under his gaze, but she couldn't summon the strength to turn away. His response certainly hadn't been what she had expected. Missing ninja did not help someone for any other reason than for their own personal gain.

Itachi Uchiha just _did not_ have compassion. Hatred, cunning, power, yes, but compassion?

Still, he was leaving the question to her. Would she make his decision a wrong one? Had she already done so? Did she even want to?

_Yes_, her rationality argued. He was evil, she should want to ruin him, hurt him and leave him behind.

But another side of her, that compassionate side of her that was grateful for his actions and sympathetic to his injuries, told her she would not be able to let him down. She would help him, at least until they were both safely out of this place.

"No Uchiha, it was not."

He nodded, gripping the back of the wall with his bandaged hand. As he raised himself up Sakura watched him, seeing the struggle in his movements. The fall had surely damaged him, but even that level of injury would not drain him so much that he'd show it so blatantly. There had to be something else? Excessive use of the Sharingan did tire one out easily, but she hadn't seen him use the mangekyo even once in their brief scuffle.

No, she was missing something.

A hand touched the skin of her shoulder, jolting her out of her reverie. Within seconds she was stumbling back, years of being on guard forcing her body into a fighting stance. She leveled her gaze with the offending appendage that had touched her, and followed it up to Itachi's surprised features.

Embarrassment washed over her.

His hand was still outstretched toward her, and he seemed startled at her reaction. Then for the briefest of moments she saw a hint of a smirk touch his mouth. It was gone just as quickly, and he turned around the face the darkness.

"Your arm is wounded. Take care of it."

She moved the flash closer to her arm, inspecting the damage more closely for the first time. Several cuts lined her arm in different patterns, all surrounding one large gash from her elbow to her wrist. How she'd managed to walk around with that on her arm this long was a mystery.

The slid the flare into her mouth before ripping at the cloth on her jacket. The gash would need stitches for sure, but she had no chakra left and it would be at least an hour before she'd have enough to take care of herself. Hopefully the remnants of her jacket would slow the bleeding enough for her to hold out.

"I wish I had my medical bag with me." Sakura murmured absentmindedly, tying off the cloth. She must have lost it in the snow when that mad man, Yahagi, had attacked her.

That reminded her. Naruto, Sai, and Kakashi were still up there. She'd thought they would be trying to get to her, but maybe they were still fighting up there. Kisame and the target were still on the surface with them after all. Would they be ok? What if they were hurt by the avalanche?

"What do you think is going on up there?" She found herself asking. The fact that she was asking such a question to a criminal seemed insane. What would he care if her friends got hurt? He probably didn't even care about the fate of his own partner.

"It is not impossible to assume they were caught up in the snowfall as we were." He replied stoically, continuing down the ledge with her close behind him. "Kisame would have continued with the mission if he survived, assuming our target survived as well."

Sakura bit her lip, wishing she hadn't said anything at all. He was right; it was likely they'd all been swept into the snow. If they survived they had to be injured to some extent.

No not if. They were all alive. They had to be.

"Your friends won't abandon you kunoichi. Avalanche or enemy would not deter them from coming for you."

Sakura froze mid step, staring at Itachi's back. Had he really just said that? Such words of comfort, with true confidence behind them.

Why did he continue to do that? Why couldn't he just be the evil murderer she'd always imagined? Insults, sarcastic retorts, yelling, those she could handle perfectly. Instead she was left with no idea how to respond. S class criminals did not act this way toward enemies.

Unless this just a rouse to lower her guard, and pull her into a false sense of security? Itachi was not known as one of the most intelligent shinobi of their time for nothing. Deception was a practice he'd perfected after all.

As much as she wanted to believe him, it just wasn't right to.

As she hovered in her spot Itachi walked back to her, extending his hand. It looked like he wanted her to take it.

"The path could be unstable. Separation is not in our favor." He explained.

She understood, but taking his hand didn't appeal to her in the slightest. She almost denied him, respectfully of course, but the bandage on his hand reminded her that they really did need each other. He wasn't trying to push her away, or treat her like she was a disease to him. Why should she be doing the same?

She'd repeated in her mind that they had a truce, and whilst down here they should work together, but a part of her had always been holding back. Now though, she needed to start truly treating him as an ally. That meant trusting him and stopping with the excuses not to.

So with a deep breath she took hold of his hand, as they descended down the ledge.

Xoxoxo

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I feel I may have rushed some of the beginning but hopefully it will all make further sense later on. I cut out the fight scene I would have placed at the start because I felt it was too long and unnecessary. Hopefully the short explanation at the beginning will suffice. **

**Currently I am up to chapter four with no solid direction of where this story is to go (Do not panic, I didn't say I did not have ideas for the direction. Currently I am sitting on three ideas). I appreciate reviews because suggestions are what will help me determine the direction I'd like to take. If you have any ideas, thoughts, questions, feel free to review. All will be taken into consideration. **

**Also I would like to mention that while I appreciate those who point out grammar mishaps, it is not my main focus. I feel that if you can read and understand, then all is well. So yes, I have quite a few grammar problems, as I am sure you will notice, but please do not go through with the intent to pick each and every one out. Thank you. **

**Lastly, I plan to update sporadically so as not to disappoint. If I keep this on a timed schedule it will rush me and I'll lose interest. So while I do have the next couple chapters finished (unless I changed something based on my ideas or reviews) I will not be posting them immediately. **


	2. A Risky Endeaver

"I never much liked the dark."

It was the first words spoken in twenty minutes, since the beginning of their descent down the ledge. They'd barely come any closer to reaching the bottom, or so it seemed, and Sakura was growing weary and impatient. She missed the ramblings of Naruto, who even with his annoying habits, at least managed to keep her distracted from whatever terrible situation they were in.

Starting up a conversation just to calm her nerves was ridicules. Itachi Uchiha certainly didn't seem like the type to engage in random conversation, and certainly not for her sake. Why had she even said anything?

Still, she couldn't take it back now, even if she wanted to.

When Itachi didn't respond she rubbed her fingers against her thigh, a nervous habit she'd developed over the years to quell her nerves. With a deep breath she forced herself to speak again, hoping he'd at least listen if he wasn't going to speak.

"Naruto never noticed because he was such a deep sleeper, but I always stuck closer to him when night came. I was a pitiful excuse for a Genin back then, and I didn't want my team to have another reason to see me as weak, so I never told them about my fear. What kind of a ninja is scared of the dark anyways right?" She laughed pitifully, feeling stupider as the seconds sped by. She hadn't even meant to say that much, but the words had just come out.

'_Great_,' she thought, '_way to open your big mouth and spill all your secrets_ _Sakura_.'

"What kind indeed."

The shock of Itachi having spoken took hold of her, and it took her a good long minute to finally realize what he'd said. When she finally understood she yanked her hand from his, crossing her arms.

"If you were just going to throw an insult at me you shouldn't have even bothered to speak at all." She spat, glaring harshly. The elder Uchiha turned, fixing her with a look of what she would have normally called stoic, but after years of working alongside Sai, and even Sasuke, she'd come to recognize hidden emotions.

Itachi Uchiha was amused.

"It is only an insult, to those who take it as such."

"Well sorry for reading into your words Uchiha. You would not be the first to use them against me." She frowned, tapping her foot against the ground much like a child. Itachi sighed, closing his eyes as his form leaned against the wall.

"Your aversion to darkness is not so difficult to understand." He uttered, lifting his hand to touch just under his eyes. Sakura felt her anger evaporate, stepping closer to him. When he heard her movements his eyes opened again, staring straight at her.

It was a small concession, to give insight into himself for her sake. She accepted it gratefully.

"Well at any rate it isn't a problem now, so let's keep going." She murmured, taking his hand again. Itachi nodded silently, following after her. She didn't attempt to jumpstart another conversation, but somehow just his presence was soothing enough this time around.

Despite this strange epiphany, it wouldn't be enough to solve their problems. The flare was starting to go out. They would have to stop without light to guide them, and she wasn't sure if Itachi could handle another fire jutsu in his state. He seemed to rely on her sight, and she couldn't lose that bit of usefulness she had left.

Itachi seemed to notice her apprehension, and spoke.

"Can you see anything ahead kunoichi?"

She squinted in the dim light, searching for anything that might mean they were nearing a way out, or at least the bottom somewhere. From what she could tell everything looked the same, except for one thing. Something she hadn't even noticed until just now.

"The path, it's getting narrower."

Itachi frowned, halting his movements. If the path had narrowed it would not be much of a problem for them to walk in a line rather than side by side, but he'd already begun to feel a slight change in the ground under his feet. It was thinner, less durable than before. The deeper they went the more they risked falling through, and he had no way of knowing how far they would fall.

The hand he'd left against the wall had not detected a change in the rock, meaning they would not be able to make a way out from it. The thickness of the mountainside would be difficult to punch through, and more than likely it would be more difficult to fight their way down the blistering cold of the mountainside, rather than from the inside.

Still, with the path blocked like this, and the light dying out, they had to do something.

He briefly considered the implications of using his Mangekyo Sharingan. The black flame would certainly force its way through the wall easily enough, and from there they would be able to judge the safest route. Unfortunately calling forth the Sharingan was a difficult task of its own with his chakra depleted as it was, and the Mangekyo would be nearly impossible.

He doubted the kunoichi beside him had recovered enough strength to punch through the wall, and the use of paper bombs in such an enclosed area was a dangerous gamble.

Sakura watched as Itachi seemed to mull over something. His gaze was distracted, settling on the wall to their right. If he'd stopped their movement like this then it must have been because the path was too dangerous to continue. If that was the case then they didn't have much choice but to go upward or try and think of another way down.

Unless, they could force a way out through the mountain wall!

"What are you thinking?" She asked, tugging on his hand. When he felt the movement he released her, now placing both hands on the wall. He seemed to be feeling for something, but whatever it was he wasn't finding it.

"How much chakra have you recovered, kunoichi?"

Sakura closed her eyes, searching deeply for any sign of her chakra. She hadn't even thought about it since they'd begun walking, and was surprised to find a small amount building back up. Not enough to perform any significant jutsu, but it was there.

"What would you have me do with it?"

Itachi took his hand from the wall, taking hers back. When he lifted it to the rock wall she flinched at the cold, but didn't force her hand from his. He forced her finger around a small gathering of rock, then down below to a rougher, coarser patch.

"Continuing downward has become impossible. Should we hope to survive this endeavor we need to exit out here." He explained, pulling her hand back up to the gathering of rocks. "This layer of rock is smoother, perfect for breaking apart."

"I don't have nearly enough chakra to break through the mountain wall!" She argued, shaking her head profusely. She'd barely had enough to heal his head injury, and even now she was reminded of her own injury. How did he expect her to be able to punch through a wall in her state?

"I'm aware," he replied, slipping a kunai out of his pack. "We will manually dig through the layer as deep as we can, and then I will require your chakra."

She didn't quite understand what he meant by that, but what's first is first. They had to make a hole, and she was all for it.

The flare was laid on the ground and she grabbed her own kunai and slammed it into the rock. Several came free, and she worked at the others as Itachi moved around her hand to do his own part.

"If we can get outside, what happens then?" She found herself asking. Itachi was intelligent, and seemed to be blessed with a knack for coming up with plans in tight situations, but it was more than likely they would end up on the side of the mountain with no path down. Aside from that fact it would be much colder out there, and the risk of hypothermia was great for them both.

"I'm not sure." He admitted solemnly. "There is a significant risk to this plan, but weighed against our odds staying inside the mountain, this seems the more dependable route."

For the first time Sakura noticed Itachi seem…unsure…and it unsettled her. He'd always seemed so definite, like even in the worst of situations he was sure of what he was doing. Now though, he seemed just as worried as she was about this. It wasn't written on his face, no, but it was in his eyes.

That's how she found herself saying, "I'll trust you, no matter where the other side of this wall takes us."

Itachi did not respond to her words, nor did he halt his work against the wall, but the corner of his mouth did lift up ever so slightly. Despite herself, she couldn't help smiling too.

It was a torturous amount of work before they finally could not force the kunai any deeper. Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow, looking to the side at Itachi. Now that the flare had died out completely she could hardly make out his face, but it was enough that she could tell her was looking at her.

"What's the next part of the plan?"

Itachi touched her hand, and in the darkness she could hear his rough intakes of breath. Then she felt a pull, small at first, tugging lightly at her chakra from the palm of her hand. She resisted, until he jerked her forward, fixing her with a hard gaze.

"Haruno," it was the first time he had spoken any semblance of her name, and it jerked her attention straight to him. "I need to borrow your chakra. Allow me."

Despite herself she nodded, now feeling the tug grow stronger. It was like a pull at her soul, stealing her breath pull by pull. It reminded her remotely of Chiyo, and what it must have felt like to have all her chakra pulled into Gaara to trade her life for his. Had she felt like this?

After what felt like minutes, being only seconds, the pull stopped, and she saw red in Itachi's eyes. The black twisted, forming the shape of his Mangekyo Sharingan. He had one of his eyes closed though, and a pained look crossed his features just as something to her right crackled.

The wall! The hole was covered in black flame!

Ameratsu. He was going to widen the hole and burn the rest of the way through. A genius idea, but a costly one.

His eye was bleeding, and as the liquid made a path down his face she felt the urge to wipe it off, to tell him to stop. In his condition, even with her borrowed chakra, the Mangekyo would leave him in no state to tread the mountain, let alone walk.

What was he thinking? Did he want to lose his sight forever?! Did he even care about his health?!

"That's enough." She whispered, pulling on his arm. His concentration didn't shift, and the flame scattered further. She couldn't see the light of day though, nothing but black. "Itachi stop!"

The flames ceased, disappearing in an instant. The Sharingan faded quickly, and before she could say anything his eyes closed. She barely had time to catch his falling form before he hit the ground. His sudden weight forced her down too, and she held him in shock.

"Uchiha?" She shook him, feeling her heart race in her chest. He couldn't have died! That wasn't possible. "Uchiha! Wake up!"

She struggled to turn his body over and laid her hands over his chest, feeling for a heartbeat.

"Please…" She whispered, closing her eyes. "Please be alive."

…_boom boom_.

There it was! Feint but there. He was still alive.

"Thank God." She murmured, resting her forehead against his. She knew it had been a sin to hope, a sin to wish her enemy to live. The truth was, she just could not do this on her own. She needed him, and he had helped her more then she cared to admit.

Now it was her turn to help him.

"Ok." She looked to the wall, where a gaping hole remained. The Ameratsu was truly a powerful weapon, and she almost was too afraid to touch the wall in fear the flames would reappear and swallow her. As her fingers met the rock she winced, feeling a remnant of heat still left behind.

She settled Itachi on the ground before standing, tracing the left behind rock. There! In the corner where they'd picked with kunai was the smallest bit of light. So small she'd barely made it out. With her bare hands she tore at the dirt and rock, pulling until it started to fall around her. More and more light revealed itself, until she'd made a hole big enough to fit her head through.

They'd found a cave! From what she could tell the light was coming from the entrance of it, which was half covered in snow and rock, most likely from the avalanche. It wasn't a straight drop from the mountainside though, or a cold narrow path down icy rock.

It was a safe haven.

Suddenly feeling more awake then before Sakura started beating at the remaining rock, forcing a larger hole until it was just big enough for her to fit Itachi through. He was heavy, but the adrenaline made the task of forcing him through the hole much easier, and he was in within seconds. Then she crawled through as well and settled by his side against the wall.

They'd done it. They'd survived and found a way out. Her team would be somewhere around the mountain, and it wouldn't be long before she found them or they found her. This Hell would be over with. Everything could finally go back to normal. To the way it was supposed to be.

She settled Itachi's head on her lap, feeling his forehead. The cold air coming from the entrance wouldn't do either of them any good, but Itachi was much more frail, and susceptible to illness. He couldn't afford to be cold. She didn't have any clothing to spare though, so her body heat would have to do.

She slid him up, moving her arms around him as best she could. It was awkward, and uncomfortable, but if it helped him recover she would do it. The cold air was getting to her too, and whether she liked it or not this was the best way to help them both. 'Just be professional,' she reminded herself, 'this is just a normal patient in your care.'

One of Itachi's locks of hair brushed over her hand, and she moved it back behind his ear. His face really did look younger when he slept, more peaceful. She would even venture to say that Itachi Uchiha was a beautiful man, someone that would have surely made heads turn in Konoha. Hers in particular, she admitted sourly.

While Sasuke had always had his cold, quiet, cool kind of beauty, Itachi's was a little bit more elegant, and dangerous. She'd never really thought about it so much, but now that she was it was obvious.

Sasuke and Itachi were nothing like each other.

Perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing either. They both had redeeming qualities-she supposed- and both of them had less than heroic actions on their records. When it came right down to it though, they were as different as her and Sai.

So why would Itachi, the presumed most evil of the two, show her more kindness in one hour then she'd received from Sasuke in one month?

"You know," she murmured idly, leaning her head back against the wall, "you make it extremely difficult for someone _not_ to like you."

With that thought in mind Sakura closed her eyes and let darkness take her.

Xoxoxo

A sound coming from the entrance forced her from her sleep. The shinobi side of her kicked in immediately, heightening her senses.

Touch. The ground around her was cold, but her arms were around something warm. _Itachi_, she reminded herself. He wasn't moving, still unconscious. Good. She would work better without the added distraction.

Taste. The air was bitter, and the cold made her mouth dry.

Smell. The cold made it difficult to pull in air but when she did she caught the feint whiff of sweat, and blood. Dirt seemed to be a prominent smell as well, though she knew that was to be expected.

Sound. Thumping, her heart beat. A very quiet shuffle, from across the cave. Someone was trying to come in unnoticed. They were stealthy about it, a ninja for sure. Who though? Was it one of her teammates?

Naruto would have been too loud. That knuckleheaded ninja couldn't be quiet for the life of him. Sai would be the more obvious choice, but he most likely would have utilized a bird to get to the cave, and she hadn't heard wings or movement of that kind. It could be Kakashi, but he had always been absolutely perfect when it came to stealth. The little mistakes this person was making wouldn't have happened with Kakashi.

Finally she gave way to her last sense, sight.

And felt a wave of horror flash over her.

Kisame Hoshigaki stood in front of the entrance, Samahada drawn and a sick smile on his face. He didn't have a single injury on him, which meant he must have escaped the avalanche alright. While that wasn't a comforting thought, it did mean that her friends most likely made it out alright as well.

"You surprise me girl. I hadn't expected to find _you_ alive." He spat, laughing at her expression. His gaze moved between her and Itachi, studying them both before finally returning to her.

Sakura growled, untangling one hand from around Itachi to grip the kunai at her side. If he was going to attack her then she was ready. The man made no move though, instead continuing to stare at her with smug pleasure.

"What are you smirking at fish boy?" She growled, pulling one leg up in case she had to move quickly. Her false bravado would surely be recognized, but it was more dangerous to sit and do nothing.

"You couldn't hurt me if you tried brat." His smile faded, and a suddenly serious look crossed his features. "Now give Itachi-san to me and I'll let you keep breathing."

"He's in no condition to be going anywhere." Sakura replied, catching his intent. Even if Kisame was only trying to protect his partner, he would end up killing him if he took him away now. She knew she'd said as soon as they got out together they would be back to enemies, but it didn't seem right to let him die like that.

Kisame seemed startled by her declaration, like he'd been expecting something else. A battle maybe?

"If you want to keep him alive simply to take back to that wretched village of yours to interrogate, I'm afraid you've picked the wrong shinobi. Words do not flow easily from his mouth."

So that's what it was. Sakura finally understood. He'd seen Itachi unconscious and assumed she was planning to drag him to her team and bring him back to Konoha with them. A fair judgment, but so far from the truth she nearly laughed.

Then stopped short when she realized that's what she _should_ have been doing. Her actions weren't justified by any means, and even Kisame had known what she should have been trying to do.

Why did she always get herself in these crazy, mixed up situations?

"You have the wrong idea. I'm not taking him back to the village." Sakura lowered her kunai, sliding her leg back down. Kisame continued to hold his position, the Samahada lifting ever so slightly as if he wanted nothing more than to chop her down with it.

At the very least, with all the evil Itachi was he was nothing compared to his partner.

"If you really want to help him, I need some soldier pills. We need to get a fire going as well." Kisame Hoshigaki would have little need for the pills, seeing as his own sword was enough to aid him, but she had no doubt he would be carrying some. It was simply a last precaution, something that became habitual after a while.

"Don't demand me kid." Kisame growled. His look changed though when he looked to Itachi and his next words were somewhat softer. "I can't say I've ever seen him unconscious before. What happened?"

"We both took some pretty serious damage from the fall. He took a blow to the head and perhaps an injury to the leg from what I could tell. Then combined with the amount of walking we had to do and his exertion of chakra with the Sharingan it was just too much for him. Hypothermia may have settled into his body, but I'm thinking something else was present before that took hold." She turned to Kisame. "Did he have a preexisting condition of any kind?"

"I'm not aware of one if he did." He answered truthfully, laying his pack and sword down. He started shuffling through the pack, searching for anything that might be of use to the little medic. Standard kunai were shuffled aside, and senbon of all sorts and sizes were carefully nestled out of the way.

"Then did he have any symptoms that would appear from time to time? Even the minutest of things will help."

Kisame was quickly growing frustrated. The kunoichi was intelligent, quick to notice anything out of the ordinary, but he couldn't say the same for himself. He was by no means stupid, but he'd never really focused on the observational and academic aspect of things. He'd rather be using his physical talents to take down an enemy. Itachi had always been the one to take a more pacifist approach.

He didn't particularly want to comply with the girl's wishes, but now was a time when he had to use more of his head then his brawn. Until his partner was awake, he'd work with her.

"The most I've ever heard from him is a cough, and that was only once when he overexerted himself on the battlefield."

"Any blood, mucus, something from his mouth?" Sakura asked, moving Itachi's body to rest flat on the ground. She tied her hair back with a band on her wrist, and waited for Kisame to finish looking through his things.

"Blood. Probably from an injury of some sort, or a side effect of Sharingan use."

Kisame tossed a small bag at her and she caught it midair. Soldier pills, two of them it looked like. It would be enough to do what she needed.

"That could be true, but I don't know enough about the Sharingan to make that assumption. What I do know if that coughing up blood is a dangerous medical issue if not associated with a physical injury."

Kisame rolled his eyes, wondering just why she felt the need to state the obvious. He knew very well that blood from the mouth wasn't a good thing. He didn't need some brat kunoichi to explain that to him.

"If he dies I'll kill you personally. You will heal him." There was a smile on Kisame's face when he said it, but Sakura knew he was serious. It wasn't fair by any means, but when had the enemy ever made a point to be fair?

She hadn't intended to take Itachi's healing further then the injuries he'd received from the fall, but it didn't seem as if Kisame would take kindly to just that amount. She hadn't anticipated his arrival, and now that she didn't have to option of leaving to find her team.

She was starting to feel like Naruto, with all the last minute, amateur actions she'd been doing. It was bound to get her into trouble, and now it had.

"Thanks for the confidence in my abilities." She replied, glaring. "If he does have a disease I can heal it, but his physical injuries need to be taken care of first."

She popped the pill in her mouth and swallowed, relishing in the feel of chakra entering her system. She raised her hand to her arm and tested the medical jutsu, relieved to feel her skin move together and heal. Thankfully the cloth she'd wrapped around herself had done its job, and no infection had seeped in. Once that was done she moved her hand over Itachi's head, finishing up on the head wound he'd received.

"How long will this take?"

"Impatient?" She mocked, sliding her hands down to Itachi's chest. It was odd, he certainly had definition, but he seemed skinnier than normal. Had the disease already progressed so far? Why hadn't he sought medical help before? From what she could tell he hadn't even told anyone about it. At the very least shouldn't he have informed his partner?

"The nine tails was out of the snow before I was. If they make it here before you finish, be warned that I will take you with me to finish the job."

If that wasn't motivation to hurry, she wasn't sure what was. The prospect of going with Kisame, probably slung over his shoulder barbarian style, was less than appealing.

As she worked she spoke, knowing she needed her nerves to calm before she could do anything productive. Funny, speaking with the enemy making her calm. She'd certainly adapted some strange habits. She must have hit her head somewhere along the way after all.

"So Itachi was under the impression that you were going to finish the mission and leave him behind until it was finished." She made sure the question was present in her voice.

"Yahagi was probably blown to pieces by that paper bomb. He did our job for us." Kisame replied, eyeing her strangely.

"Would you have gone after him if he'd survived?"

"It's best not to dwell on the past girl, hasn't anyone ever told you that." She frowned, withdrawing her chakra from Itachi's body. Kisame had spoken with venom behind his words, more defense than usual for someone with such a cold heart.

"What? Are you afraid to tell me? Either way it won't change my opinion of you."

"Strange to hear you say that, seeing as you seem so adamant about healing your enemy. You two were even snuggling when I got here."

Sakura flushed, growling low in her throat. "We were _not_ snuggling. It was the most efficient way to keep us both warm."

"Sure kid, sure. Still, you two must have had to cooperate with each other a great deal to get to here. It seems you didn't try to attack. Either you are very smart, or you changed your opinion about him."

"We called a truce." Sakura replied, starting to feel hot from the anger. "We were both in no condition to fight. I haven't changed my mind about him at all."

Itachi is a murderer, the enemy of Sasuke. He'd caused so many problems, killed so many people. She would never forget that, and never forgive him.

Who cared that he'd saved her life when she was falling, or that he'd used his last bit of energy to get them out of the mountain…or that, for a moment he seemed to try and connect with her when she told him about her foolish fear of darkness.

She didn't care…she didn't…

Kisame smirked, leaning toward her until his face was only six inches away. "Somehow, I doubt that."

She swung and missed, hitting thin air as Kisame moved away. His laughter echoed, only making her angrier.

"Start a fire you useless thug. If you have time to laugh you have time to work."

"Whatever you say pinky."

While Kisame went off to do his work Sakura returned to hers, placing her hands back on Itachi. His lungs were overrun with disease, of what kind she had yet to deduce, but it had been terrorizing him for some time now to have grown so large. It was eating away at the tissue, and soon would create holes in the lungs that would let so much fluid in he would lose the ability to breath.

She'd done a thorough search for his antibodies, hoping to bring them into the diseased spot to help her heal him. What little she did find had been too weak to use for such an intense medical procedure. Without proper antibodies she could heal the infection, but it would return shortly after, and more deadly than before. It was just a temporary help that would be crueler then leaving him now.

For a moment she wondered if the presence of foreign antibodies in his body would help, but Tsunade had warned her about that.

"_Lady Tsunade, why do we try and regenerate a person's own antibodies to fight a disease? Wouldn't it be simpler to lend them someone else's?"_

"_Sending foreign antibodies into someone's system is a risky gamble Haruno Sakura." Tsunade replied, crossing her arms. "It can also have several consequences. The antibodies could be rejected, and cause more damage than help for one. They could also confuse infected tissue with normal tissue in some scenarios."_

"_So it's a fifty-fifty chance then?"_

"_Actually it's closer to a twenty-eighty chance for success."_

_Sakura frowned, feeling defeated. Then something else occurred to her._

"_What about if we did the reentrance procedure?"_

_Tsunade frowned, stomping her foot on the ground repeatedly. "Where did you learn about that?"_

"_One of the medical books you had me read. There were a lot of interesting procedures."_

"_Forbidden procedures more like." She growled. "Reentrance is absolutely forbidden!"_

"_The book said the rate of success is much higher than that of our normal healing procedure." Sakura argued, wondering what could possibly be wrong with something that had such a high success rate._

"_Oh yes, there is no questioning that. In fact, everyone I've seen the procedure done on has lived, disease free for the rest of their lives." Sakura was about to say 'see?' but she continued on. "However there is also a large chance you can contract the disease in your patient."_

_She frowned, feeling suddenly sick. Tsunade continued._

"_By taking the patients antibodies into your own system you are in a way healing them, making them better, but you are also introducing a disease into your system. When you return the improved antibodies they are adequately prepared to take on the patient's infection, but that leaves you with no way to fight the one you have let in your body. I've seen so many die from the very thing they treated."_

"_Has anyone survived it, with no infection?" Sakura asked, feeling strangely hopeful._

"_It's rare, but it does happen. Just promise me you won't ever use that technique." She had a feeling Tsunade was keeping something from her, but she didn't question it. _

"_I promise Lady Tsunade."_

Here she was now, actually thinking about breaking that promise.

For an enemy no less. One she'd only intended to heal as far as external injuries go. There was nothing forcing her to go as far as _that_ procedure.

She registered warmth in the cave and looked to see Kisame standing in front of a successfully made fire.

"Where did you get the wood?" She questioned, noticing the large pile.

"Amazing what you can find lying around somewhere." He replied, fanged grin appearing. Alright, so he wasn't going to tell her. Not that it really mattered. "Are you almost finished, or have you been doing nothing this whole time."

What an ungrateful brute.

"Not that I have to tell you anything, but I think I may have found the answer to his underlying problem. He can be healed." But…

"Then get to it kid. Why the hesitation?" Kisame glared. "Or are you planning on simply leaving him? I'm sure aiding the enemy this far wasn't in your plans."

No, it certainly hadn't been. She'd been all too ready to tackle whatever was going on in his body, but she didn't want to die for him. He was evil; he deserved to have this disease eating away at him.

"_A compassionate heart is a trademark of a true medical ninja. If you did not possess such a trait, you would not have made it as far as you have."_

Aug! Why did he have to go and say that?! This went further than compassion, further than anything she'd done before.

Doing this would be breaking the law, more than once. A traitorous action.

"_Why did you save me?"_

"_Was my compassion a weakness?"_

The enemy, the ENEMY, hadn't even stopped once to think about saving _her_. Traitorous action or not, she had a debt to repay and something to prove. If she was successful, then maybe the outcome wouldn't be just a life saved, but a debt owed to her by Itachi. She could help her friends.

'Or you could end up speeding up the destruction of Konoha,' she thought somberly, sweat dropping. The risks were weighed heavily against her, but being a shinobi meant taking risk every day.

"The procedure I'm going to do is called reentrance. It's a forbidden technique that will involve me removing his antibodies and putting them in my body to heal them."

"So you can heal him?"

"Yes, I can." She said stiffly.

"What's the cost?" Kisame questioned, moving from the fire to stand in front of her. She was scared, scared to tell him, scared to go through with this, but she didn't want him to know that. He would only mock her for her fear. If she was going to go out from this she would do it with dignity, like a true Konoha Shinobi.

"It could kill me."

Xoxoxo

**I appreciate the reviews! They were very supportive and helpful. I have decided on the direction I'd like to take, but thoughts and ideas will still be accepted as the story progresses. I'm excited to hear what you would like to see happen. Creative insight is a fuel to a stories fire after all.**

**As promised I plan to answer some questions I think you may have. First off I think I should state that this is rather close to the point where Itachi and Sasuke would have had the last battle, just in case any of you were wondering about the time frame. Also the way I'm going to characterize some of my characters may seem a little out of the ordinary (or possibly not, depending on how you picture them) so expect the unexpected (No comments about Kisame complying so easily. He has his reasons. :P). I do have my own ideas about how they would react with each other after all, so I hope all of you can understand that. If I seem to go too far, let me know and I will review my writing. The question of updates will be answered on my profile page. About a week (maybe less) before my next update I'll post the date. So look every once and a while to see if I have posted the date.**

**As for any further questions they will be answered soon. If you have any more though I would be happy to answer them next chapter. **


	3. Not In The Job Description

"Between you and the nine tails there is never a moment of sanity on your team is there?" Kisame questioned, narrowing his eyes at the pink haired girl in front of him. She stood her ground, glaring right back at him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You both seem to have the habit of rushing into a dangerous situation without any thought to yourselves. Is this just something the two of you do or is that whole village of yours infected with stupidity?"

"Don't talk about Konoha like that! You'll never know anything about our home or the shinobi who protect it. They are loyal, strong, and willing to die for what they believe in." She growled. Kisame seemed unaffected by her declaration.

"You Leaf Shinobi astound me. How is it that you can so willingly give up your lives for someone else?" Kisame laughed dryly, looking away at the wall. "You would never see me doing that. Itachi wouldn't do it either if this situation were reversed. So why would you do this, and for an enemy no less?"

Perhaps Itachi wouldn't save her in this situation. Kisame was right, what she was doing was absolutely ridicules. But she couldn't say she was doing this entirely for herself, or even for Itachi.

"As a medical ninja I made it my sworn duty to heal those who need my assistance. It is my ninja way, but it does not apply to the enemy unless I find it necessary." She paused, clenching her fist. "Whether he lives or dies would not normally matter to me, but he saved me in that mountain. I owe him."

Kisame seemed to mull this over, but she didn't give him time to take it all in before she spoke again.

"If he dies here, it would do more harm than it would good anyways." Her tone changed, becoming something angrier. "If Itachi dies, he'll never get his revenge, and he will never come home. He'll just keep ripping us apart, until nothings left."

"So it's for the little Uchiha brat." Kisame moved into a seated position beside her, leaning an elbow on his leg. "I wouldn't waste my time hoping for his return girl. He has no concept of what's good for him, and if he does fulfill this revenge scheme of his, he will simply find something else to destroy. You would do better to forget about him and move on with your life."

"While I _appreciate_ your opinion," Sakura replied. "I can't say that I agree. Sasuke will come back. We are his home. He has to come back to us."

"I'm not sure why you have so much faith in that brat. Then again, I never really was too sure why Itachi left him alive either. I would have killed him." Sakura rolled her eyes, trying to ignore him. "You may not want to listen to me now kid, but I know what I'm talking about. The Uchiha is bad news."

"Yeah well so is this one." She gestured to Itachi. "I guess I'm just doomed to make bad decisions around Uchiha's."

"Maybe so pinky." His sharp teeth glistened in the light with his smile. Sakura looked down, staring into Itachi's sleeping face.

"Shouldn't you be happy anyways? I'd of thought you would be advocating for me to do this rather than change my mind. After all, if I do die it won't affect you any."

"Maybe not, but I do respect your courage. I've killed shinobi with less backbone then you, and they merely cried at the thought of dying. I did want to know what could be so important to you you'd die for it." Kisame smirked. "Healing a criminal for a criminal is a reason I never expected."

"We already went over this. He's my teammate, and I'd do anything to bring him back. Naruto too."

"The Kyuubi is reckless enough."

"The Kyuubi has a name. Use it."

"I don't have to kunoichi. He is no friend of mine. He is merely a piece to collect."

Sakura spun on him, and wasn't surprised when he caught her fist in his larger hand. "Don't you ever call him that! Naruto isn't a pawn to be used in your sick twisted game! I'll _never_ let you use him like that!"

"Says the girl who is healing the one charged with his capture." Kisame replied evenly, tightening his grip on her hand. Sakura lowered her eyes, knowing he was right. Here she was healing the one person who could possibly capture Naruto and kill him.

If she didn't heal Itachi though, and things were allowed to continue, Naruto would still have death hanging over his head. Kisame hadn't been entirely wrong, questioning her actions and saying that her reason was unexpected. It was that way because the reason she'd given was only half the truth.

More than any other motivator, she had Naruto to think about.

"_He can't be allowed to simply live and do as he pleases while other countries suffer. If you cannot bring him back then I'll be forced to send a team to take him out. You understand this?"_

"_If it comes to that then I'll take care of him myself. I'll die with him! Naruto Uzumaki doesn't go back on a promise!"_

She couldn't let him die. It may be selfish of her, but Naruto has taken a place in her heart that even Sasuke couldn't compete with. Did she love him, yes, but it would never be as she loved Sasuke. Choosing between the two, the very idea didn't settle well with her. Somehow though, she knew deep in her heart what her choice would be.

She was making it right now, by choosing to heal the criminal in front of her.

"Am I less of a person for doing this?"

Kisame shrugged, his smile fading. "You're asking a criminal if your actions are justified. Not the wisest of choices. Tell me kunoichi do you even have any remnant of sanity?"

"I don't know anymore. I've always been academically smart, but now would be the time to use those smarts for a purpose other than this. I just…can't. I must be insane to be having these thoughts." Sakura shivered, clenching her arms tightly. By doing this she would be betraying Konoha. But, if it would keep Naruto safe, just for a little longer, she would do it. She had to keep them all together. They would find a way to bring Sasuke back without resorting to unnecessary death.

"My cooperation with you isn't a betrayal of Akatsuki" Kisame replied roughly, as if reading her thoughts. "I have no intentions of leaving the organization, or helping you any further then your involvement with my goals. If you feel the same way about your village, I wouldn't worry. This is just a means to an end."

"A means to an end huh." Sakura sighed, rolling up her sleeve to expose her vein. She could live with that. Even if it was just a blissful lie, she would believe it to protect her friends.

"Now that you've finished ranting, let's get this started."

Xoxoxo

Naruto Uzumaki was never known to have a tight hold on his emotions. Even after his years of training, in traumatic situations he found it difficult to control anything he did. The Kyuubi was an ever persistent entity in his mind, focusing dark thoughts into his mind in a crazed attempt to take hold of him.

**The girl will die. **It whispered. **You aren't strong enough to save her alone. I can help you. Let me help you.**

Lord forgive him he was tempted, so tempted to take that offer. To feel the darkness rush into him, breathe life into his veins and give him the means to find one of the ones most important to him. The one he should have been able to protect. It would be so easy to let go of his tight reins and be what everyone feared him to be.

He'd promised himself a long time ago that he wouldn't rely on the fox's power. If he couldn't face challenges on his own, what good would he be as a Hokage? Relying on someone else's power for the rest of their life was not what Naruto pictured in his idea of a leader. A leader relied on those around him, yes, but there had to be some of their own abilities in the picture as well.

He would wipe away the fears people had about him, and earn the title of Hokage.

**Use me! **

"Naruto, the avalanche has iced over everything. Sorting through the snow is futile at this point." Kakashi shouted from his position atop Sai's ink bird. His Sharingon blazed, tired from the recent battle and the search through the snow for any sign of his student. "We need to also consider the mission. Our target could still be alive."

"So are we just going to give up on her?!" Naruto yelled, turning to face his teammates with raw anger on his face. "I don't abandon my friends Kakashi-sensei! I am not worse than scum!"

"I know Naruto. I'm not telling you to abandon her." Kakashi murmured, looking suddenly sad. He knew more than anyone that abandoning your friends was a terrible thing, and his only female student was dear to him. He would never risk her safety if he didn't think she could handle herself.

Convincing the hot blooded shinobi in front of them that was she probably okay for the moment, now that was a mission all in itself. He knew all too well how Naruto's temper got him into trouble, and on top of the situation they were already in, that wouldn't be a welcome action.

"It's likely she is further toward the base of the mountain, if she has not already found a way out of it." Kakashi added, after a moment of thought.

"I am not so sure." Sai spoke. "Much of our chakra was spent on the battle, and if the same applies to Sakura she may have suffered injuries from the fall that rendered her unconscious. If we are accurate in presuming Itachi Uchiha fell with her, she may otherwise be held up by him."

Kakashi gave Sai a look, and he shrugged in response, not quite sure what the older man looked so irked about.

"Which is why we need to search faster!" Naruto yelled, feeling a burst of renewed energy. Itachi Uchiha was not a foe he took less than seriously. His own experiences fighting against him hadn't turned out to well, and Sakura was alone with the guy. If he hurt her he would kill him!

**You can be strong enough to kill him. Use my power!**

"Easy Naruto. Remember, Sakura is a trained medical ninja and a smart girl. She can handle herself until we find her." Kakashi reminded, holding his hand out to Naruto. "Now get on and let's move further downward. Hoshigaki Kisame is already on the move, and I'd hate to risk him finding her or the target before we do."

Naruto frowned, biting his lip. When blood flowed down his chin he frowned more, knowing that it was the pierce of a fang that had caused the injury to his mouth. He was losing the battle, and nothing good would come from it.

"I have sent mice into the snow to search ahead." Sai added, watching Naruto's hesitation carefully. He was all too familiar with the signs of inner turmoil, but he couldn't decide what the blonde was fighting against. Perhaps he already believed Sakura to be dead, and the grief was getting to him? should he try and comfort him?

'_No,' _Sai thought, remembering the last time he'd tried to comfort the knucklehead. He'd somehow misinterpreted the action and had tried to attack him, despite his rational explanation. In this particular scenario, with emotions high as they were, Sai decided it was best to refrain from comfort and focus on what he knew best. The mission.

"Everything will be fine." Kakashi murmured, holding out his hand further for emphasis.

Naruto nodded, taking Kakashi's hand. When he was fully on the ink bird he turned to look to the piles of snow around them, hoping Sakura wasn't somewhere under it freezing to death. He couldn't bear losing another teammate.

**Use me.**

'_No.' _Naruto replied, shaking his head. _'I'll rescue Sakura with my own power. You just sit back and watch!'_

Xoxoxo

Sakura felt strange, not the pleasant kind of strange either, more a sickening kind. A foreign chakra in her body felt different then she'd expected, like a poison in her bloodstream eating away at her. Itachi Uchiha's chakra was hot, and made her want to scratch at her skin.

She'd immediately channeled her chakra to the antibodies upon entrance, trying to keep any bit of the disease from spreading into her body. The effort wouldn't be a wasted one. She couldn't afford to die, not before she'd accomplished everything she wanted to. Still, it was hard to tell if she had gotten it all, and the odds were ever against her.

Even time was not on her side. For this particular procedure, her body had to act as a healing incubator for at least five hours before she could return the antibodies to his body. Proper cleansing time for cells usually accounted for an hour or two in the host body, but for such elaborate procedure as this the time had to be at least double the normal amount. The extra hour is a precaution, like double checking a locked door before you leave your home.

She hadn't quite explained this to Kisame before starting the removal process, and now she was faced with quite a few dangerous questions.

How would Kisame react to the new information? What if her friends found her before the five hour period was over? What if Itachi woke up before that time? How would he even react to the situation?

Why had she gone through with this, if she knew how long it would take?

"Your strangely quiet girl."

Kisame looked over at her from his position against the wall. He'd watched her through the entire procedure, making comments and asking questions about nothing in particular. She may have been more inclined to oblige his curiosity if not for the complexity of the procedure and the amount of focus necessary to complete it.

After his fourth comment at her supposed "lack of intelligence" she'd promptly told him to leave or die. He hadn't spoken another word afterwards, though she doubted he thought her much of a threat.

Sakura rubber her flushed cheek, closing her eyes.

"I'm worried." She admitted after mulling it over. What could Kisame possibly do to her if she revealed the truth? He needed her. Killing her would not be in his best interest. Still, the threat he'd made earlier was not one she desired to happen.

"About what?"

"I'd forgotten to mention a tiny bit of information regarding my involvement." Kisame cracked his knuckles, gesturing for her to continue. "The incubation process in my body will take five hours to cleanse the antibodies. If I return them too early it will have no effect, and if I don't return them at all Itachi will certainly die."

Kisame frowned, rubbing his hand along the hilt of his Samahada. "That will be a problem if your friends find us here first. With that teacher of yours tracking skills, I wouldn't bet on us having more than two hours here at most. You've put yourself in quite a predicament."

Sakura nodded, knowing he was right. It wouldn't be long before her friends found them. They certainly wouldn't understand what she was doing, and she wouldn't blame them for not understanding. This was wrong, no matter the circumstance.

So what then? Would she go with them and pretend nothing had happened? No, Kisame would never let her escape without healing Itachi. He'd sooner try and kill her team before letting that happen. Naruto would no doubt lose him temper as well and cause more trouble than this was worth.

Naruto…

She'd gotten so caught up in the panic she'd forgotten the very reason for her actions. The reason she had to stay with Itachi, and finish the procedure.

"I'm taking you with me kunoichi."

What?

Sakura struggled to stand, finding the effort much harder than it'd been before. Did the process really cripple her so badly? No, surely not. It had to be the effects of the soldier pill wearing off. With that waning energy she'd soon be down for the count unless she could recover another way.

"I warned you that I would be taking you if I thought it was necessary. While I'm sure I could take on that team of yours, I'm not risking it. I'm taking you and Itachi out of here."

Kisame was serious, and she didn't have any more time to think on the matter. She knew what needed to be done, and while she didn't want to go with the brute there wasn't much choice left for her. Staying would be forfeiting the procedure, and more trouble for her team.

"You will let me go." She stated, crossing her arms.

"You would trust the word of a villain? Again I question your sanity." Kisame laughed, shaking his head at her. "I hardly think a yes would suit you."

"If you don't give me a truthful answer, I will not go with you. I will fight you to the end."

"By all means, fight. It will get you nowhere kunoichi."

Sakura frowned, panic settling in once more. She hadn't expected that answer. All she'd wanted was a simply yes. She couldn't go so he could kill her when she was finished.

She lacked the strength to take him on…so her intelligence would have to be enough.

"Itachi is in no condition to be out in that weather." She argued, deciding his partner was the best form of persuasion she had to keep him here. After all the trouble he'd gone through to make sure the Uchiha would get well, she doubted he would risk worsening his condition to prove a point.

"You're right girl, but I never intended for us to travel straight through the cold air." At Sakura's estranged look he added, "My water prison jutsu should do nicely to block out the harsher weather."

"So you want to drown us instead of freezing us?" A snort echoed through the cave. "You really are smart."

"Watch your mouth girl. You'd do well to remember you have no power here."

Sakura glared, fist clenching. How dare he speak of relying on her to heal Itachi, and then tell her she had no power here! He may be better fit for battle then she, but her skills were the real treasure. Kisame Hoshigaki would be nothing without her help now.

"I'm the one risking my life to help your partner. I think I have more power then you believe."

Kisame looked ready to rip her apart, but somehow managed to contain his temper. It wouldn't do any good to rip her to shreds now. If Itachi died because of his foolishness there would only be trouble to follow. Patience.

"The water prison jutsu can be altered enough to allow air, brat. You'd think you would have learned that from that teacher of yours."

Sakura bristled, raising herself to stand.

Only to fall forward rather quickly, and slam right into Kisame's stomach. His arm came around the catch her awkwardly, but she couldn't find the strength to raise herself. It was like her entire body had turned to jello, leaving her venerable and disoriented.

"What are you doing girl?"

Well it's not like she'd done it on purpose! What did he assume she liked falling over onto enemies?

"I was injured before meeting you stupid, and combined with the procedure I've just done as well as the soldier pill wearing off, I'd say I'm just about beat. Don't go getting any stupid ideas just because you happened to be my landing place." For all the exhaustion taking hold in her body, she still had that fiery temper to rescue her.

"Can't say that I'm complaining. This makes things easier." Before she could fully comprehend what he'd said Kisame had thrown her over his shoulder before leaning down and picking up Itachi much the same way.

"Let me go you brute!" Her scream came out weaker than normal and familiar black spots were entering her vision. This time though, they weren't fading, instead growing larger. She couldn't pass out now, not like this.

"Quiet kid, we have a long way to go." With that Kisame made a simple hand sign, and a wall of water formed around them. The air Sakura had felt earlier from the entrance was gone, though she couldn't say it wasn't cold. Still, the jutsu was effective at keeping out the harsher weather. Perhaps Kisame was smarter then he appeared to be.

"I have to…return…Naruto…" Her words slurred, eyes shutting slowly. She faintly heard Kisame chuckle before everything went dark.

"Sleep well kunoichi." He murmured, leaping out the entrance. The water prison jutsu could be seen quite easily from afar, and surely those teammates of the girls would notice him heading down the mountain. He hadn't lied when he said he'd rather not engage them, so he'd come up with a plan to distract them long enough for him to be off the mountain and out of their reach. He wanted them to know he'd taken her, but it would do him little good if they got to him before the girls procedure was finished.

He wasn't without mercy, despite his reputation. The girl had chosen to face the possibility of death for his partner, and in return he would allow her to return to her friends once her job was done.

Still, teasing the little girl was more fun than giving her the truth. As much as he appreciated his partner, he had never been able to get much emotion out of him. This girl though, she got angry at the slightest things. How she managed to become a kunoichi with those fluttering emotions was beyond him.

She hadn't even noticed that he'd created several water clones after she'd requested him to build a fire. At first he'd simply marked it down as her being a pathetic shinobi, but her argument earlier after she'd fallen gave him a whole new perspective. To be that tired, must have been some fall they took.

Still, it did worry him to see her in that state, because that means Itachi was much worse off. He truly hadn't seen Itachi unconscious before, and certainly not so weak as to remain that way while someone touched him. Whatever was going on with him could really kill him.

The idea of that didn't settle to well with Kisame. He'd never had too many problems losing a partner, or killing one for that matter, but Itachi Uchiha had grown on him. The partnership they had worked, and he looked up to the Uchiha more then he probably should.

The girls question had startled him. Akatsuki members were always told to be absolutely dedicated to the mission. Losing a member certainly did have its setbacks, as they'd seen with Sasori and Deidara, but it was a necessary loss. Kisame had been prepared to take the same risk with his own partner.

At least, until he'd seen him fall through the cave ground.

Itachi Uchiha had always been so prepared, like nothing could touch him. The fact that he'd let something like that catch him off guard had been startling. As soon as he'd cleared the avalanche he'd spent ten minutes watching the snow for any sign of his partner, or even the stupid pink haired brat. If one of them came up surely the other one would as well.

Neither of them had.

Kisame couldn't remember the last time he'd actually worried about someone. He would never admit the notion out loud, but in that moment he'd reacted without even a second thought.

Yahagi had been forgotten from his mind, and he'd started moving down the mountain. He remembered hearing the Kyuubi burst from the snow somewhere behind him, but he hadn't paid much attention. His focus remained on Itachi.

Until he realized what he'd been doing.

His mind had snapped back to the mission, and he'd made it clear that Yahagi's remains were to be found first, and then he'd go in search of his partner.

Kisame clenched his fist, tightening his hold on the kunoichi over his shoulder.

She'd been wrong about his choice, and he didn't know just how he felt about that.

Xoxoxo

The barrage of Kisame water clones had caught them completely off guard. Kakashi had been the first one to sight them, and since the first attacked they hadn't stopped.

"Where is the real one?!" Naruto screamed, punching through the face of the closest Kisame to him. When it dissolved into nothing but water he cursed. That was the ninth one he'd destroyed with nothing to show for it.

"What's wrong nine tails? Losing your temper?" The Kisame clone joked, dodging another one of the boy's attacks.

"Calm down Naruto." Kakashi chastised, lifting the hitai attai around his eye, revealing the Sharingan. A quick sweep through the clones revealed that the real Kisame wasn't among them. He had to be hiding somewhere, waiting for the opportune moment. With all of them scattered and unprepared this would be the perfect opportunity for the Akatsuki member to strike.

Sai finished off the clone in front of him, looking back at Kakashi. "He does not appear to be attacking with strong purpose. Does this mean our mission has been a failure?"

Kakashi watched Naruto tear through the clones, considering Sai's question. The Akatsuki member was certainly making it easy to destroy his clones, not like he'd fought in the past. If he'd located Yahagi and disposed of him, that would explain the lack of power behind his attack. He'd already suspected the mission was forfeit.

Yet, that brought the question of why. Why would Kisame Hoshigaki even bother with an attack if he'd already taken care of Yahagi?

It was possible that he was simply buying more time for himself to locate his partner, and worried they were getting too close. Though surely his clones would fight with more power if that were the case.

The buying time theory did seem to be the best choice, but now for what? If he had found the Uchiha he would have already left with him, and there would have been no need for such a diversion. If he were still looking it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for him to want to use a diversion, but he seemed more the type to search without resorting to that method.

"You aren't still looking for the girl now are you? What a waste of time." A loud laugh pierced the air, forcing Kakashi's gaze to the left. Naruto was fighting with one of the last clones, and this one seemed to be giving him a hard time.

What if he'd been mistaken and Kisame wasn't in the vicinity hiding somewhere? This diversion might not be to buy him time to locate his partner. It would be for him to make an escape.

_Poof_! Another one down. Two more to go.

"Our main focus is to locate Sakura. If he wanted to escape with Itachi, he wouldn't need to bother with a distraction."

_Poof_! One more left.

"I always imagined his character to be more mocking. Was I incorrect in my assumptions?" Sai asked.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, unsure of where Sai was going with this. How did Kisame's temperament affect anything? What good would analyzing his personality do at a time like this?

Sure Sai had always been a strange one, but this analysis was far deeper.

"Well, I had expected he would have been grimmer. Most with his personality would have wanted to lower our hopes by mentioning the possibility that Sakura is dead. He said nothing of the sort, simply that we were wasting our time."

Naruto raced toward the last Kisame, swiping blindly with his kunai. Each move was dodged effortlessly, and it was beginning to piss him off. He didn't have time for this nonsense! Sakura was still trapped in the mountain! Each second could mean more danger for her!

"I will find her!" He screamed, dropping the kunai to channel energy into his palm. As the Rasengan formed he saw Kisame grin.

Then Kakashi understood. He hadn't made a quip about Sakura's death, because he knew Sakura wasn't dead. He'd come here to let them know he was ahead of them.

"You've done something with her."

Kisame's eyes met Kakashi's, amusement glimmering, before Naruto's Rasengan destroyed the last clone. As soon as the snow settled, Naruto spun to face his former teacher. His pupils were red, a sure sign of his barely withheld anger.

"What do you mean, 'done something with her'?"

When Kakashi didn't respond immediately Naruto ran up to him, grabbing his arm. "Tell me!"

"What he means is Sakura might be being held captive by Hoshigaki Kisame." Sai explained shortly. It was difficult to repress his older viewpoints, to where he'd simply shrugged off these things and continued the mission. Now he actually forced himself to think through this, and feel. What came was hurt, and he didn't like it. It made him want to hit something.

It seemed Naruto felt much the same way.

"Why? Is this some ploy to capture me?! Am I the reason she is in this mess?!"

Naruto felt his knees hit the snow covered ground, his body going numb. If he'd caused this then he'd never forgive himself. He should have been watching her more closely! If he'd just moved a little faster, maybe he could have caught her, or at least fallen with her so he could protect her. Instead he'd let himself be pulled away and swallowed under the snow like an idiot.

Why couldn't he protect his friends? What good was he if he couldn't even do that much?

**Do you see now? The hurt will only grow. **

"I'm not sure." Kakashi replied. "But I doubt you are the reason Naruto. Besides, captivity is just one option. It could also be possible that he attacked and left her. We have to explore all possibilities."

Sai uncovered his ink, drawing another bird. With a hand sign it came to life, waiting in the snow with wide spread wings.

"I can find a trail if I go now. You and Naruto can continue looking for her here, just in case you're right." Sai announced.

"Good idea. I'll summon Pakkun to send a message to the Hokage about this. She'll need to be made aware about the situation. We'll meet back here in an hour." Kakashi looked to Naruto, waving him along. "Let's go."

**You are weak. You can't do this without me. **

Naruto looked in the direction the clones had come from, glaring.

'_Watch me!'_

"We'll find you Sakura. I promise."

Xoxoxo

**This chapter was certainly not one of my favorites to write, but I feel I got quite a few major points across. Now this is the set up for next chapter, when things really start to get moving. Bear with me though with the updates from this point because they will be slower. **

**Thanks for the kind reviews of anticipation (you know who you are ****). They are truly encouraging and I like to know people are enjoying the story. Like I said I do have a solid direction on where I'm going, it's just writing it and some things in the middle that I'm having trouble with. Your opinions and encouragement keep me going. Thank you again!**

**I have to admit I'm not very good at writing for characters like Kakashi, and Sai. So if you found my view points for them to be a little too off, I'm sorry. That is just what seemed to work for me when I was thinking about how to involve them. I'll be thinking about them a little more as I go.**

**Thanks for reading and please review. **

**p.s. I did update this quicker then I wrote in my profile because I wanted to get it out there. I feel bad that the next update will take longer, so this is to pacify. **


	4. It's A Deal

"_I don't think I would be able to kill him."_

"_Who?"_

"_My brother. That is to say, if I had one."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_I can't say that I understand how Sasuke feels. The emotional turmoil inside him must be ripping at his conscious to do something, anything. I know he thinks killing his brother is the only way to bring him peace, but I don't think that's true."_

_Naruto frowned, leaning back in his chair. "So you're saying you wouldn't kill Itachi if you got the chance?"_

_Sakura shook her head, leaning to press her face into her hands. _

"_I never said that. I'm just saying that if Itachi was my brother I wouldn't be able to kill him. My family is important to me, and even if one of them killed the rest and left me, I would never have the ability to finish them. After all, even if it's in some sick twisted notion, we are all each other would have left right? I'd see him brought to justice some other way."_

"_You're truly something Sakura. I can't say I would think the same."_

"_I have no doubt you would." Sakura smiled, stretching out her hand toward his. He took it, smirking._

"_You might be right. You have always had faith in me when I didn't have enough for myself."_

"_I could say the same for you." _

"_I know one thing for sure though."_

"_What's that?"_

"_If I ever had the opportunity to take down Itachi Uchiha, I would do it without a second thought. If not for the village, then for Sasuke."_

_Sakura smiled, gripping Naruto's hand tighter. _

"_Me too."_

Sakura jolted herself awake, wondering just where that dream had come from. It'd been a while since she'd thought about that strange conversation. What could have possibly brought it on?

Her weary mind she tried to ascertain where she was, but the warmth was sucking her back in, slowly, mockingly. She forced her hand upward, feeling a soft surface under her skin that rippled and altered under her hand. With further exploration she found another surface, this time higher and silkier.

She stretched her aching limbs out, feeling relief flood her body all at once. Then she withdrew once again, clutching at the object in her arms.

Wait, object? What object?

Her emerald green eyes opened slowly, wincing at the light from the corner somewhere. When she finally adjusted to it she noticed the light had been coming from a lamp. She was in a room, on a warm and comfortable bed.

Holding. An. Arm.

Her head felt like lead when she lifted it up. She had to blow a few pieces away from her face to see properly. The arm she was holding was connected to Itachi Uchiha, who was still unconscious and looking sinfully angelic in his sleep. Tendrils of his raven hair fell around his neck in random swirls, and it took a great deal of effort to pull her gaze from tracing the paths they made.

"_If I ever had the opportunity to take down Itachi Uchiha, I would do it without a second thought. If not for the village, then for Sasuke."_

"_Me too."_

She let go of his arm, pushing against the bed to sit up. That stupid memory, come back to haunt her, remind her of her duty. Even in trying to save him she'd failed Naruto, and continued to fail him just by not acting against the Uchiha beside her. What a liar and a coward she was.

Naruto wouldn't have hesitated to take advantage of his slumber. He certainly would have never attempted the procedure she'd already begun.

The blanket pulled around her waist, making her shiver. She didn't attempt to pull it back up though, the cold was waking her up.

Speaking of waking up, how long had she been out? How far had she been taken? Were her teammates looking for her?

A brief thought of escape crossed her mind but she shook her head, knowing it would be futile. She'd come so far into the healing anyways, she may as well follow through with the reinsertion before making any escape attempts.

She slid her legs over the side of the bed, testing her ability to stand. Her stance was wobbly at first, uncoordinated, but stable enough for her to remain upright. If this continued she'd be fine within a couple hours. She rotated her shoulder, testing the joint for any lingering problems. A little tenderness but nothing serious enough to waste her chakra on.

She was about to attempt walking just as the door opened.

"You're awake."

Sakura turned to face Kisame, glaring immediately. The man in question raised his hands up in defense, though his smirk was less then apologetic. She hated that smirk.

"I know what you're going to say kid, but it had to be done. Don't go getting angry at me over it." He moved across the room, plopping down on a couch chair nonchalantly. When Sakura continued to glare he sat forward, sighing. "What?"

"You kidnapped me and you expect me to just accept that? I refuse to do your bidding just so you can kill me. I did warn you of that."

"I did you a favor by kidnapping you. This way your precious team never has to know about what you've done." Kisame scoffed at her, crossing his arms. "You'll be free to go once Itachi wakes up. I won't kill you."

Sakura nodded, feeling a little more secure about her situation. Then something hit her.

"Since when do you care about my reputation?"

"I don't. The secrecy is simply more beneficial to the both of us." Kisame replied, frowning. "Just be grateful and shut up."

"You are sourly mistaken if you think I'm going to suddenly become pleasant company for you." She settled herself back onto the bed, looking away.

"I didn't expect that you would be. Women are nothing but trouble."

Sakura scowled, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Let's do something _productive_," she hissed. "You can start by telling me how long I've been out."

"It took an hour just to get here thanks to your pale team mate." Kisame begrudgingly admitted. "I had to avoid his eyes too frequently for my taste. Since our arrival you have been napping for four straight hours."

"I would hardly consider my unconsciousness to be _napping_." Sakura mumbled, running a hand through her hair.

"Good thing I didn't ask your opinion then."

Sakura glared. Kisame smirked.

"I came to wake you because you said something about this medical thing being a five hour wait. Time is up kunoichi. I'd rather not deal with you any longer then I have to. You cause a lot more trouble than your worth."

"Such endearment. Careful or I may start to think you like me." Sakura replied sarcastically, sitting back down on the bed.

Her hand clumsily slid on the blanket, brushing against Itachi's arm. It was hot, much hotter than normal. Fever must have set into his body, and while under normal circumstances that would be terrible, it was a sure sign to Sakura that it was time to force the antibodies back into his body. She would steadily combat the fever after the reentrance, and his antibodies would combat the disease in return.

If the whole thing went well, the Uchiha would be awake within a couple hours.

If not…he'd die and in return Kisame would kill her. That is to say, if the disease hadn't already slipped past her chakra to kill her. It would certainly be a befitting death, for somehow who made such a traitorous decision.

No, she wouldn't dwell on that fact. Now is the time to focus and be of some real use.

She focused a narrow band of chakra around her fingers and stretched it out slowly, forming a scalpel of chakra. With her left hand she grabbed Itachi's arm, touching the small incision she'd placed on his wrist during the first surgery. A twin mark rested on her left wrist, and she knew this time the process would be even more uncomfortable.

"I'll need cold water in a bowl, with a cloth. Itachi's fever won't go down on its own." Sakura announced, looking back toward Kisame's relaxed form. The man didn't get up immediately, or even acknowledge that he'd heard her until she cleared her throat loudly.

"Try not to kill him while I'm gone." He grumbled, standing sluggishly. Sakura wondered how someone could switch emotions so quickly, but brushed it off as a missing ninja thing. She'd probably never understand the mind of Hoshigaki Kisame.

He marched to and out the door within seconds, slamming it behind him without another word.

Sakura returned her attention to Itachi, slowly sliding her chakra scalpel over his scar, reopening the wound. No blood flowed out, thanks to her stable flow of chakra into the wound.

'Now for the hard part.' She grimaced, feeling the chakra blade slide over her own scar, forcing it open. The antibodies had already made a path to her chakra center, and now she needed to call them all back to the inside of her wrist.

She closed her eyes, focusing on her chakra network. "One…two…three…" she counted, pulling at the cells containing the antibodies as she found them. "Four…five…six…"

Sweat dripped from her forehead, sliding over her eye lid. Her chakra was rebelling from the pull inside her system. If she let go now all the antibodies would return to the core and she'd simply have to start all over. The second time around would be even more difficult than now.

"Come on…" She hissed. "Fourteen…fifteen…sixteen…"

Her body started to shake, and she gasped when the pull started to loosen. Only four more cells. Just four more and she'd be finished. Why couldn't she reach them?

_Slam!_

Sakura felt her back hit the ground, and the ceiling seemed to sway before her very eyes. God her whole body burned like it'd been set on fire. The flow of chakra shouldn't have hurt this badly.

No wait, the flow had been disconnected. The noise, it had broken her concentration! The antibodies!

Sakura closed her eyes again, searching with trepidation. Her heart sank when she found them…the lost four cells she'd been trying so desperately to push back into Itachi's body. They'd rushed back to her core after the flow had been broken, and latched back onto her chakra network with much greater vigor.

"So much for superior ninja hearing."

'_Hoshigaki_,' she seethed. He'd slammed the door again! Did he even know what he'd just interrupted?!

'_No_…' Sakura paused, opening her eyes again. He wouldn't know what had just transpired. He wouldn't know that Itachi had four less antibodies then she'd taken, and he _didn't have to _know. The Uchiha would no doubt be perfectly healthy with what she had managed to get back, and she had little doubt the ones remaining in her body would do her no harm. The procedure had more or less been a success.

She'd calm his fever, and then be allowed to leave.

"Yeah well so much for superior ninja stealth." She fired back, sitting up slowly.

Kisame shrugged, laying a filled bowl of water down on the table in front of him. "You look terrible."

Sakura frowned at his blatancy. Sure, she probably did look terrible, but he didn't have to go pointing that out. He would look like this too if he'd gone through what she just did. Inconsiderate prick.

"I'm assuming whatever you had to do is finished then?" He added, returning his attention to bowl as he dipped the cloth in.

Sakura nodded, gripping her wrist where the incision still bled. "The antibodies have been returned safely. He could wake up any time now, though it's more likely he'll do so after his fever breaks."

"Well it seems you're useful for something. You'd make a great Akatsuki member if you weren't such a brat." Kisame remarked, tossing the wet cloth at her. She caught it midair, getting sprinkled with bits of cold water. It felt remarkably good against her heated skin.

"I wouldn't join your little terrorist group if my life depended on it." Sakura spat. She slung the wet cloth over her shoulder, pulling her worn body up using the side of the bed. Her right knee slid over first, and then her left followed suit. She hovered over Itachi for a brief moment before taking the cloth and placing it neatly over his head.

His eyes seemed to twitch for a moment, but never opened. She lifted his eye lid carefully, just to be sure he was still truly unconscious. His pupil reacted to the light, but otherwise remained unchanged. He was still out.

"The antibodies clinging to the cells I took have been properly healed, and I should start to see signs of his healing in about half an hour. I'm not actually sure how long it'll take for his system to flush out the disease, especially with his combined fatigue, but hopefully it will be no longer then a couple hours." Sakura grimaced, holding her stomach as a wave of nausea hit her. "It would be best to have a bucket close by."

"You're not going to get sick are you? I won't be cleaning that up." Kisame replied, taking a step away from her.

"I'm just…tired." Sakura murmured, pushing her body to the side of the bed. She let her head rest on the pillow, willing herself to stay awake. "The bucket is for Itachi. When he wakes up the blood and fluid in his lungs will probably come out all at once. His whole system has to be flushed, and unfortunately," she yawned, closing her eyes, "that means he'll be throwing up a lot of junk."

"So you expect me to hold it out for him and pat his back?"

Sakura nodded against the pillow. "That's exactly what I expect you to do."

Suddenly she felt her shirt bunch up against her back, just before she was lifted up off the bed. Her struggles were futile against Kisame's hold, so she started screaming.

"What are you doing you stupid, moronic, brute! Put me down this instant!" She pushed at his arm, but all that did was earn her a good shake before she was dropped unceremoniously onto the hard floor.

"If I have to hold a puke bucket, you aren't going to sleep through it. Be certain of that, kunoichi."

"No rest for the weary eh? You're worse than Lady Tsunade. Slave driver." Sakura groaned, rolling over so her stomach faced the ceiling. Thankfully she hadn't upchucked on the spot, though she could feel it coming. It wasn't normal for her to throw up after strenuous procedures, but she hadn't exactly been in peak condition before attempting it. Stress had strange ways of catching up to you.

"Kisame…"

"What kid?"

"Can I have that bucket now?"

Xoxoxoxo

"I don't know what Granny is thinking! We shouldn't be heading back now, not when we're so close to finding Sakura!" Naruto yelled, blue eyes blazing. A tree under him cracked as he pushed off it, a sure sign of his disrupted chakra.

"As much as I agree with you Naruto, we can't ignore the Hokage. We're not even going home, just on the outskirts of the border to meet with our back up." Kakashi replied, pushing to catch up with him.

"We don't need back up! We need to keep looking before something happens to Sakura."

Kakashi fully understood his student's worries, but he knew it would take them a lot longer to find Sakura without a little extra help. Tsunade wanted her found quickly, and returned in one piece.

Still, something just hadn't seemed right.

_Two hours earlier…_

"_There was no room for argument in her tone, Kakashi. She wants you all to pull back immediately. She's sending Team 8 members as back up."_

"_Hinata will be a great asset to our search, but why should we go out to meet them? It's imperative that we remain here and keep following the trail before it's lost." The scent hound fumbled with his answer, seeming almost ashamed. _

"_I didn't ask. But I think you should know that she had no intentions of having all of Team Eight help in the search. The Hyuuga girl has her own mission."_

"_What mission?" Kakashi asked, looking carefully at Naruto and Sai to make sure they weren't listening. The two were arguing about something or another on the mountainside, oblivious to the conversation happening next to them._

"_I'm not sure. She asked that I return swiftly to give you this message before she spoke fully with Team 8. I didn't have time to listen." Pakkun lowered his head._

"_I can't understand why she would take Hinata specifically from the back up team. Kiba and Shino are great at tracking, but her eyes are the difference between stealth and full frontal. _

"_All I know is that was her orders. I'm sorry Kakashi."_

_Present…_

Kakashi frowned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. If Tsunade felt it necessary to give Hinata a mission of her own, it would have to somehow correlate with their own. Normally Kakashi would have guessed that it would be to locate the body (if there was one) of Yahagi deep in the snow.

However, that would have destroyed the point of them meeting back up half way. The only option left was that her mission would be more in tuned with the Akatsuki's goal.

The capture of Naruto.

Hinata would be sent to take Naruto back to Konoha, and what a mission that would be. Kakashi didn't envy her. The boy had a drive for his friends, especially Sakura and Sasuke. Asking him to leave her behind simply because he was a target of the organization that took her away would be like asking him to stop eating ramen.

It made sense that she would choose the little Hyuuga to do the job though. Her kind demeanor would be enough to keep Naruto calm, and aside from that she did have the unique ability to subdue Naruto should he try and ignore the Hokage's wishes.

Though, Kakashi wondered if she would do it. She did have an obvious soft spot for the blonde shinobi.

"What are you thinking about sensei?"

Kakashi glanced in Naruto's direction, putting on a fake smile. "Nothing at all."

Xoxoxoxo

_I'm sorry Sasuke…this is it…_

Cold, death is always cold, like ice settling into your veins. Before the darkness had taken hold he'd felt that cold, and knew what was coming for him.

At first he'd cursed himself for acting so recklessly. He'd known his limits, and what his actions would probably bring him. He wasn't one to make rash decisions, but for once in his life he truly hadn't know what to do. The unselfish part of him had wanted to continue toward his goal, and simply find another way out of the mountain without straining himself. Then the selfish part of him, the part that wanted so desperately to stop fighting and finish his life how _he_ wanted had taken hold.

He'd done such terrible things in his life, and asking to die how he wanted was too much for a sinner such as him. Humans are such selfish creatures, and he hadn't been the exception.

The girl, the pink haired former teammate of his little brother, had changed something. He'd never imagined he'd be placed in such a precarious situation with the "enemy" and as such had never planned what he would do. Killing her was out of the question; regardless of what his brother assumed about himself Itachi knew he still held the girl in high value. He would need her when the time came, just as he would need Naruto.

Besides that, she was important to so many in Konoha. Taking her from that simply for appearances was too much to ask of him. So much had already been asked of him already.

Deciding to save Sakura Haruno had been instinctive, but it was her who made the choice of saving him. She'd gone out of her way to help an enemy, and he knew she was conflicted even to the last about that. Even so, she'd had the heart to stay by his side, and that's when Itachi decided that he was going to be selfish.

He'd played out his death over and over in his head for years now, and it would have become a reality within the month. He would force that callous snake Orochimaru from his brother's body, and then with his last bit of chakra he'd be sure Madura Uchiha would never have contact with Sasuke. His brother belonged in Konoha, and he wouldn't have the Akatsuki holding him back from that future.

A future that would be bright, something he himself had never had.

Something he'd always wanted.

Itachi had decided long ago that his future was forfeit, and he was meant to die hated and alone, all for the sake of his country. It had bothered him, yes, but never to the extent that it did when he'd fallen in the mountain with Sakura. She'd shown him kindness, and became the light he'd thought he'd never see again. Even if she hadn't meant too, she'd truly saved him.

For the first time in a long time, Itachi hadn't felt alone or hated. So he'd chosen to end his life protecting hers.

He'd entrust Sasuke to Naruto and Sakura. They would do more good for him than he ever could.

Now he could finally rest.

"…_Chakra fluctuation …unconscious…hours…"_

Voices? Where were they coming from? Why were they here?

"…_Uchiha…stubborn…"_

Uchiha. They were talking about him. He couldn't see them though, everything was pitch black around him. Were they mocking him from the shadows, tormenting him for the deeds he'd done when he was alive? Eternal damnation for his wrongdoings.

"_Who are you?!" _He screamed to no avail.

"_Movement…waking up…prepare…"_

Warmth, he would feel it. That wasn't right, he should only be able to feel cold. The dead don't feel warmth, they don't feel anything. He winced, feeling a burning sensation travel up his chest, then cool suddenly. Air, sweet air, flowed down his throat into his lungs. There was no burning this time, no coughing up blood, no pain. He greedily took in all the air he could, feeling the cooling sensation spread throughout his entire body.

Then the heat came back, this time fierce as molten lava. Itachi tried to grasp for his throat but found his arms wouldn't move. Nothing would move. Only the burning was allowed to move, up into his lungs and straight toward his throat.

Just as he felt the fire in his mouth Itachi felt his body finally respond to his command.

Sakura rested her hand on the Uchiha's chest, focusing on the inside of his body. She could already feel a change happening, the process going much quicker then she'd anticipated. The cells were doing their job and destroying the disease.

Itachi had also shown signs of awareness, and that in itself was a miracle. She'd assumed it would be hours before he would open his eyes, and yet here he was surprising her yet again. She'd never underestimate Itachi again.

Kisame stood ready at the other side of the bed, a black bucket in his hands held just above the Uchiha's lap. Sakura had urged him to be prepared as she started trying to encourage Itachi's lungs to expel all the foreign liquid. Since Itachi was starting to wake up, that meant it was working.

Sakura moved her free hand up to his neck, sliding upward to his cheek until she rested just above his eye.

In a second red met green, and Sakura was forced back as Itachi moved forward. For the second time that day Sakura felt her body hit the floor, but this time she felt grateful for it. If the sounds above her were any inclination, Itachi was having no trouble regurgitating the blood that had once filled his lungs. Sakura had dealt with worse situations at the hospital, but she had no desire to watch Itachi Uchiha upchuck. That was her limit.

Sakura rubbed at her neck, wincing at what she was sure would be an area with a bruise. Healing it now would be superficial, and a waste of energy.

"You were right kid. All of it came out in one sweep." Kisame announced once Itachi was finished. The younger man fell back against the headboard breathing heavily, face covered in sweat. His hand moved up to wipe the blood from his face, but he made no other move.

Sakura sat up, resting her arms on the side of the bed. The scent of blood permeated the room, making her cringe, but she fought through it. Itachi's eyes glanced to her form, and an unreadable expression formed on his face.

"You're still here." His voice croaked from the strain, but otherwise held steady. Sakura smiled, nodding her head.

"Yeah. I am."

Itachi frowned, lifting a hand to touch his chest, just above his lungs. She heard him take in a breath, and then hesitate. When he exhaled again he looked surprised, like he'd missed something important. When he did the same thing again Sakura concluded that he had possibly gone crazy.

Then she remembered that the man had probably never been able to breathe that easily in a while, and this was probably a new feeling for him. Much like walking out into the sunshine after being cooped up in a basement for a couple days.

"Kisame."

The man in question looked to Itachi, taking the bucket from the bed to place on the floor. Itachi took a look around the room, and then at the bed he rested on. When he looked at Kisame again Sakura watched his expression change, morphing back into what she'd seen upon their first encounter on the mountain. Cold, emotionless…

That kind of change could only be accomplished by an Uchiha. She'd seen it happen so many times with Sasuke, like clockwork. All you had to do was blink, and any semblance of emotion would vanish. That was always the one thing she held Naruto in higher regard for. Whatever he felt he told you, and you would never have to look closely to see if he was truly happy or not. Naruto didn't hide.

"What happened?" Itachi asked.

Kisame shrugged, striding across the room to retrieve his sword from its place on the couch. "I think it would be best if you heard the story from the kid. Her explanation would be better suited to your taste." As he strapped the large weapon to his back he smirked, turning to look at Sakura. "I'm going to go out and keep an eye on our pursuers. Can't let them get too close. "

"If you hurt them I'll return the favor." Sakura replied, not even bothering with the pretense of cracking knuckles or glaring daggers. Kisame was already well aware of the feelings she held for her team members. Whether or not he was stronger, it would still be a fight if he did anything.

"Be good pinky." Kisame answered shortly, opening the door in front of him. He looked back at her with a deranged smiled, then shook his head like he changed his mind about something. "You'll be free to go when Itachi is finished with you." With that said Kisame shut the door, leaving the room in silence.

Funny how she couldn't get him to leave her alone for five seconds when it really mattered, but as soon as Itachi wakes up he's ready to head out. Hadn't he been the one who was so eager to have his partner awaken so she could leave?

Sakura looked over at Itachi, wondering how he was taking things. If he was angry, which at this point she had no way of knowing for sure, it wouldn't be out of the question for him to use his Sharingan against her. He'd already proven (and was still proving) that he could use it in his weakened state.

But if he wasn't angry and she was simply misunderstanding what did that mean for her? He didn't seem angry upon awakening, and the change in his behavior had been a result of his speaking to Kisame, not her. It wouldn't be out of the question to say he was putting on appearances, but that wouldn't be necessary. They were enemies, straight to the point. If he didn't want her around, he would not have to keep that from his partner. If he did, well he wouldn't have to really hide that either. She served a purpose for him, and as Kisame had said he wouldn't be betraying Akatsuki if her involvement was for healing purposes.

Then again, she really didn't understand Itachi Uchiha. Trying to understand exactly what he was thinking or feeling, without even really knowing him, if like trying to finish a jig saw puzzle when the last five pieces aren't in the box. Creating your own pieces might work, but everyone will know they are fake and eventually you'll lose sight of the true picture.

Sakura did not want to lose sight of the real picture. As much as she wasn't too interested in learning her enemy, there was a large part of her that _needed_ to know.

"I was dying."

The words were cryptic and short, like it nearly disgusted him to say them out loud. Sakura sighed.

"Yes. You were."

"Now I am not." Sakura rolled her eyes at the obvious statement. If this was going to continue she may as well go ahead and leave.

"I healed you. Does that bother you?"

Itachi scowled, a look that seemed too twisted on his face. Sakura began to wonder if it truly did bother him to be saved by her. It hadn't seemed that way before though, when she had healed him in the mountain. Perhaps it only applied when he was under the impression that he wouldn't have to deal with the aftermath. He had anticipated dying after all.

"I am no fool kunoichi. Your reputation in the medical field is substantial, nothing short of astounding," he began. Again she saw a flash of that unknown emotion in his eyes. "Even so, I am no stranger to the disease in my body. There is no medicinal cure, only temporary reliefs. I did think to exploit medical shinobi, but the conclusion was always the same. My situation was terminal, permanent. So forgive me when I don't believe that you could "heal me"."

Sakura nodded, pulling herself up onto the bed. She crossed her legs, holding her hand out in front of her. As it lit up a light green she watched Itachi stare, and then recognition crossed over his features. Then he frowned.

"Let me." She commanded. Itachi didn't stop her as she placed her hand on his chest. When her chakra sank into his body he felt it, all of it, moving through his muscles, tissue, cells. Then it stopped, and he felt something warm against his lungs.

"This is where most of the disease ended up. The warmth your feeling now is a result of my chakra meeting the remnants left of my chakra connected to your cells," Sakura explained. "I know it might seem a little farfetched, but even when a disease has progressed to the last stages, it is possible to be brought back. It just takes a procedure that matches the severity of the disease."

"To what severity did you reach, Haruno?"

"I did what was necessary, Uchiha. I didn't do it entirely for you, so you don't have to feel weird about the risk I took"

"Regardless," Itachi continued, "I want to know."

Sakura shrugged, pulling at the blanket under her as if it were the most interesting thing in the room. Another hand engulfed hers, pulling her attention upward to meet Sharingan eyes. "You know you really shouldn't be using your Sharingan. You aren't invincible, despite overcoming a vicious disease."

"Without it I can no longer see anything." His admittance came as no surprise to Sakura. She'd already known his eye sight was badly damaged, and his statement just proved that he was now entirely blind without his Sharingan. "Tell me how I'm still alive."

So he wasn't going to drop the subject. So much for plan A.

"A forbidden jutsu called reentrance. It has proven as a successful cure for diseases that would otherwise be incurable, with a one hundred percent success rate. All I had to do was become a host for your antibodies, and then return them after they became cleansed." She returned her eyes to her hand, which was still covered by Itachi's. For some reason this didn't bother her as she knew it should.

"The fact that I have never heard of this procedure suggest it is either fairly new, or has some serious side effects for either the patient or the doctor. Which is it?" Itachi's stare was hard, and she felt his hand tighten on her own. Her other hand recalled her chakra to her body, and she pulled it against her chest.

When it came right down to it she didn't want Itachi to know the extent she'd gone to in order to save his life. He was a criminal, who didn't deserve what she had done for him. Why give him the satisfaction of knowing she'd nearly traded her life for his own?

What would he even do with that knowledge? Praise her? Declare his loyalty to her and Konoha? No, of course not. More than likely he would sit in silence and contemplate how he'd let himself get into such a terrible situation.

So there really was no gain in telling him.

Except that if she refused, he would more than likely force the information out of her. After all, she wasn't allowed to leave until he was finished with her right? She could be here well beyond the time she thought, and the longer she linger the more danger her friends would be in.

"The doctor." She answered shortly.

She expected him to glare at her, to demand more information and threaten his Sharingan if she didn't give it up.

But she never expected him to smile, a real smile, one that was quite possibly the warmest she'd ever seen in her life.

"Thank you, Sakura."

Those two words that had once caused her so much pain, so much doubt, now only brought comfort. For a moment it was easy to look at the man before her, and see someone else entirely. Someone who had remained loyal to his village, who could have been there for Sasuke instead of hurting him, someone she would have looked up too.

But when she blinked his smile had disappeared, and she was brought back to reality. In front of her was a criminal, someone who would never belong in her world, nor she to his.

"The recovery process will take some time, so try not to strain your body. It may be best to have regular checkups with another medic." She bounded off the bed, rushing toward the door. When her hand touched the door knob she heard the bed creak behind her, and feet touch the floor.

She was just about to turn the knob when he spoke.

"You said that you did not do this entirely for me." Sakura tensed, squeezing the knob. How had he become so perceptive? Why even bring that up?

"I've healed you and given you my medical opinion. Will you please allow me to leave?" She replied stiffly. Itachi didn't move behind her, but that didn't make her feel any safer.

"At first I began to think that you were doing this for your team. Healing the enemy may be treason, but it is not above shinobi to make deals with the enemy in order to keep something they value safe. It had crossed my mind that you would be willing to save me, in return for the safety of Naruto Uzumaki. Though I am sure you would have known I could not make such a promise, and even if I did you would not trust my word alone."

Itachi rested his hand on the bed, steadying himself as he moved toward her. "Then I remembered that my little brother is of great importance to you. Yet you did not ask for his whereabouts, or of his new team even though I know you are aware that I hold that knowledge."

"Would you have given up that knowledge if I had asked?" Sakura replied. She started to turn the doorknob but once again a hand rested over hers, and she felt warm breath on the back of her neck. It would have been all too easy to overpower him, to gain enough ground to run. But she didn't.

"Under the right circumstances, I believe I would have."

Sakura turned, facing Itachi with determination. "What circumstances would that be?"

The elder Uchiha moved away, as if the proximity were suddenly too close for him. "I do not pretend to know the full reason for your actions, and I will not pry further," Itachi murmured, lowering his hands to his sides. "Do not mistake, however, that I am uninterested in affairs where my younger brother is concerned. So tell me kunoichi, what would you do with the information once I gave it to you?"

Sakura hesitated, calculating the possibilities in her mind. She could return to her team, tell them what she knew, but her antsy friend Naruto would certainly want to go after Sasuke right then. If they did manage to stop him, he would just return to the village and get formal permission. Tsunade would deny him nothing if he believed enough.

She could keep the information to herself, and disregard it entirely. After all, information from an enemy could be a trap. Even if it wasn't, that didn't mean she had to use it.

Then there was the last choice. The one she'd considered even before running into Itachi.

She could go after Sasuke herself, and try and convince him to return with her. If she took on the burden, Naruto wouldn't have too. But if he didn't return with her, and tried to kill her…for the sake of the village and her friends she would have too…

That is to say, if he didn't kill her first. She really had no chance against him, with her skill. In short range, she may have the upper hand but aside from that Sasuke Uchiha held all the cards. Kakashi had even once said that he believed that no one knew how to defeat an Uchiha, better than another Uchiha.

"The Kyuubi container means a great deal to you," Itachi interrupted, noticing her struggle. "As well as the other members of your team. Are you willing to sacrifice your friends for one man?"

Sakura shook her head. "Never."

"Then are you in turn willing to sacrifice Sasuke, for your friends?"

Sakura didn't reply, grabbing her arm tightly with a shaky hand. Could she really do it? Could she really kill Sasuke if it came down to that? Naruto had fully been prepared to if he couldn't keep his promise, so she should be able to do the same right?

Itachi moved back to his earlier position and reached around her, leaning his full body against her in the process. Sakura felt her face heat up, but if Itachi noticed he didn't say anything. She heard the knob turn behind her, and a pressure against her back.

"I have a simple choice for you Haruno Sakura. You can walk away now, return to your team and never think of the occurrences that happened her today again if you wish," Itachi released the door, stepping back from her. "Or, you can take what I'm about to tell you and use it as you may. Which will it be?"

Sakura glanced back at the open door behind her, knowing that now was her chance to go. She'd already committed enough sin for her lifetime in the few short hours she'd been with Itachi. Listening to him further, what could that possibly bring her? Doubt? Worry?

Still, if she walked away now it wouldn't erase what had happened here. Tsunade had always told her it was important to see things through to the end.

"You win Uchiha." Sakura hissed. Itachi did not smile at the statement, but he seemed like that had been the answer he'd expected. The door shut once again.

"I have a proposition for you, and I do not take such deals lightly." He began.

"Wait." Sakura interrupted, raising her hands. "You're asking me to betray my country further by working with you. I'm sorry but I can't-"

A finger rested over her lips, and Itachi fixed her with a cold stare. "I am not asking you to betray Konoha. This deal will be to the benefit of it should you choose."

Sakura nodded stiffly, pushing his hand away from her mouth. "Why would you do anything that benefits Konoha?"

"The end justifies the means, Haruno." Itachi replied. "I am willing to give you the information you seek. Sasuke's whereabouts, the identities of his team members, enemies they have come into contact with, name it and I will answer. You will have everything you need to face him, and I will personally guarantee no Akatsuki interference in this matter."

Sakura crossed her arms, leaning her back against the door behind her. "You did say under the right circumstances. What do you want in return?"

"Your healing prowess is known throughout the nations as second only to Tsunade. I am not certain you are second best any longer." In her younger years Sakura may have flushed at the comment, but now she stayed cold as stone. "I want you first of all to administer the checkups you so highly recommended. Aside from that I want only one other thing…

…I need you to heal my eyes."

Sakura choked, gasping. He hadn't just suggested…?! He couldn't possibly be asking her to…no. any optical procedure was a nerve racking process, combined with a kekkei genkai it was extremely risky. Only those who are very familiar with the kekkei genkai should attempt to do medical procedures on them. She had once been allowed to work on Hinata Hyuuga's eyes, but only after undergoing ten intense hours of study under the head of the Hyuuga clans watchful eyes.

As she recalled Sasuke had never let anyone touch his eyes, and Kakashi was very particular about his left eye as well. She had no experience with the Sharingan, and one false move could mean eternal blindness. Not to mention, he seemed to already be in bad shape if he could no longer see without the Sharingan. Were the effects even reversible after that point?

He was expecting a miracle.

Even if she decided to give it a try, it would take several weeks to start examinations and actually heal his eyes. Aside from that, if he did want her to perform the checkups for the reentrance procedure, that would also take a couple weeks. She couldn't stay here with him for that long. She needed to return to her team, and to Konoha.

"My absence from Konoha for that long will cause chaos." Sakura argued.

Itachi smirked. "I find it strange that that is your only complaint." Sakura frowned. "I don't have any intentions to stay here. You will be allowed to return to Konoha. I have not had much difficulty sneaking into your village before, I will do the same with this arrangement."

"For several weeks? Someone is bound to notice."

"I am no Genin Haruno. Your lack of faith is insulting."

"Forgive me for not trusting a criminal."

Itachi sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. The kunoichi was quickly giving him a headache. "What terms would be acceptable to you then?"

"If, and I mean if, I accept then I want this to be out of the village. Somewhere no one will come around."

Itachi nodded, mulling it over. "As I recall the Forest of Death is still off limits to those without specific permission to be there."

Sakura grimaced, recalling the terrible experience she'd had there. "No one would look there, that's for certain."

"Then is that all that concerns you?"

Sakura knew the deal was a good one, and she would only have one opportunity to take it. One opportunity to change everything, to finally be the one to protect instead of being protected. But she was still no match for Sasuke, even if she had the element of surprise on her side.

Then she remembered, that spring day a few years ago.

"_Sensei, do you think Naruto can defeat Sasuke?" Sakura asked, leaning against the back of a tree centered on the training grounds. In the distance Naruto and Sasuke were brawling, throwing punches and taking names as Ino would have put it._

_Kakashi lowered his book, glancing at Sakura from the corner of his eye. "What brought this on?"_

"_Well I know Sasuke is amazing, and no one is stronger than him," She replied, confidence streaming from her voice, "but I can't help but wonder if maybe Naruto's determination will pay off someday. Is determination enough to defeat an Uchiha? I mean you have a Sharingan and you've never lost."_

_Kakashi laughed, laying his book down entirely. "I have lost several battles Sakura, and I am also not an Uchiha if you remember. I can tell you now Sasuke is not the strongest in this village, and he still has a lot to learn. As do you," he added. Sakura laughed nervously. "I can tell you that the Uchiha clan was always strong, and they rarely ever lost. I may never understand the extent of their strength, but the Uchiha clan was always able to utilize their skills to the upmost. In fact, the prime opponent for them would be as expected…_

"Nobody knows how to defeat an Uchiha, better than another Uchiha…" Sakura whispered. She'd forgotten all about that, and instead had relied on Naruto or even Kakashi to discover the best way to fight Sasuke. They were both strong, especially Naruto, but there was always that one step higher. Only one person would know the best way to defeat an Uchiha, even if the odds seemed to be against you.

Sakura looked at Itachi, who seemed to be waiting patiently for her answer.

"I will heal your eyes, and continue with your checkups in the Forest of Death in compliance with the information you have offered, but in that time I also want something else…"

Itachi raised a brow questioningly.

"I want you to train me."

Xoxoxo

**Yes, this chapter is done! Finally…after being edited, and rewritten SIX times. I had trouble especially with the Itachi/Sakura interaction. I hope I made a good choice with my changes. **

**I am not sure when the next review will be. Things have gotten busier and I'm still thinking of how to mold this story into what I want. So try not to expect too fast of updates. I'll do my best I promise.**

**Also, grammar…not so good this round. Didn't have as much time to go through this time so if you see something stupid you can laugh, but know that I tried. **

**Please share your thoughts/ideas/questions etc…I'm happy to hear them. **

**Review. **


	5. Web of Lies

"Pinky looked like she was in a hurry. Did you scare her away?" Kisame stepped into the room, closing the door behind him silently. Itachi was sitting in the corner of the room now, on the couch he'd been on earlier. His eyes were closed, as if he'd been asleep. Kisame knew that wasn't the case though.

He hadn't lied when he said he was going to go and keep an eye on the girl's teammates, but once he began searching them out he realized they weren't in the area. Something had deterred them, which made following them pointless. The best thing to do would be to take Itachi and leave before they came back, most likely with reinforcements.

So he'd waited on the outside, keeping an eye out for any sign of trouble and hoping none of his water clones would find her group of friends. Thus far, nothing had been spotted.

When Sakura had burst out the door he'd almost thought she was running from Itachi, and had half a mind to chase after her. Not seeing his partner following her though made him concerned. It wasn't easy for Kisame to imagine Itachi being overpowered by anyone, but he was recovering and liable to make mistakes.

It looked like Itachi was just fine though, which meant he let the kunoichi go. He'd worried like a girl over nothing. He must have spent too much time talking to the pink haired brat to be acting like this.

"Anything interesting happen while I was out?"

Itachi glanced at him, and Kisame saw black instead of red. He was still tired then.

'_Reinforcements!'_

Kisame frowned, looking toward the door. His clones had certainly traveled quickly, but the distance covered was still shorter then he'd anticipated. Whatever had caused them to head out of the vicinity was no longer an issue. They were coming back, and there was no guarantee that the kunoichi would find them before they found him and Itachi.

They had to leave, and report back to base.

Speaking of reporting…

"Will you be telling leader about any of this?"

"It is not necessary." Itachi responded evenly, his eyes sliding closed. Kisame's frown deepened.

"How so?"

"My ability to carry out my duty has not changed. If at any point my involvement with Haruno or the status of my health becomes a matter of importance to our leader, I will discuss it. Until then, this is how I intend to handle things."

Itachi didn't want to share this information. Granted the Uchiha was never one to share, but on matters such as these it had never been a problem before. Was there another reason for his secrecy? Something that he wouldn't share even with his partner?

Itachi stood from his position on the couch, turning to face Kisame. When his eyes opened they were no longer black, but a blood red. "I intend to utilize the kunoichi's healing abilities further. She has agreed to heal my eyes in exchange for my little brother's location."

As he walked by Kisame felt something overcome him, something dark. Itachi stopped just a few feet behind him, and the feeling intensified. He knew what it was within seconds.

"If you would like to report this fact, you may do so when we return."

It was a warning…no, a threat would be the better word. He was free to explain everything to their leader, but in doing so he would provoke a reaction from his partner that he wasn't sure he was prepared to handle. Kisame was loyal to Akatsuki. He would never do anything to destroy the goal the organization had. Another part of him though, a part that he had once been ok with, was loyal to his partner. The partner he had never once questioned until now.

For the first time, Kisame truly wondered if he should trust Itachi. Itachi had never led him astray before, and he was really the only thing closest to a friend Kisame had. Did he want to ruin that over something trivial? Something maybe he himself was blowing out of proportion?

There had to be a good reason for his partner's secrecy, and until he discovered the truth for himself, he would honor Itachi's wishes.

Kisame turned around, staring at his friends back as he stood by the door. "I think I'll let you handle things. I'm interested to see how things with pinky go anyways."

Itachi nodded, and only the slightest relaxation in his left shoulder told Kisame that his reply had been expected. "Let's go."

He would find out the truth soon enough.

Xoxoxo

"I'm not abandoning Sakura. This isn't a negotiation."

Hinata frowned, knowing he would say exactly that.

The journey out of the land of fire had been one spent mostly in thought, and to a lesser extent, worry. Kiba and Shino hadn't been all to shocked when she told them of her "special" mission, but it had certainly caught _her_ off guard.

Tsunade had truly been cruel to give her this mission, not just because it would make Naruto angry with her, but because she didn't agree with him leaving either. If it had been her teammate, she would want to stay behind and search too. It wasn't fair to take Naruto away simply because his life might be in danger.

Not to say she wasn't worried about Naruto. She always worried about him. But this was something she knew he had to do.

Even if Tsunade wished for his return, she knew she wouldn't be able to convince him with words. While she'd been given permission to use brute force, Hinata knew deep within her heart she could never hurt Naruto, especially for the wrong reasons. It just wasn't in her nature.

Still, the danger couldn't be ignored. Kiba had scented an enemy in the area not to long before they found Team Seven, and had even thrown a kunai in the direction he'd heard footsteps, but when she'd looked around the area there hadn't been anyone around. Kiba had been convinced someone was there, but if she saw nothing then they would have had to of disappeared rapidly.

If someone was really there then a clone was the only real explanation. If that were the case then the enemy knew they were coming, and her mission was all the more imperative to complete.

"I can't return without you." She muttered, looking down at her feet. Begging was a last resort, and pathetic of her but this was serious. She needed to make him understand.

"Then you'll just have to come with us." She raised her head, locking eyes with Naruto. He smiled, laying his hand on her shoulder. It was warm, and oh so welcoming. "We'll all return together, with Sakura."

In this moment, just like so many others, Hinata remembered just why she loved Naruto. He was the man who inspired her ninja way, and would always be one of the most important people in her life. She would follow him to whatever end.

The clone was gone from her mind in seconds, replaced with thoughts of Naruto's determination and helping Sakura.

"Alright." She whispered, fighting back the blush threatening to take over her entire face.

"Man Hinata you really are a sucker for Naruto." Kiba exclaimed, patting her on the back as he passed her. The girl in question stuttered at the comment, looking to Shino for assistance. The bug user merely shrugged, impartial to her struggle.

"I feel we should share information if we're going to find Sakura quickly," Shino murmured. "Please start with when she went missing."

As Kakashi explained Sai focused. When Team Eight had caught up to them he'd made a point to begin preparing to find Sakura, and had sent several of his mice to search while they planned. So far nothing had turned up.

"So you don't know for sure if Itachi is with Kisame?" Kiba questioned. Kakashi nodded.

"All we know is that he has taken Sakura. If Itachi is with him also then the danger is only greater. If we knew for sure we could formulate a plan."

"Excuse me but…" Hinata hesitated, lowering her eyes. "You did say they fell into the mountain together."

"That's right. The shock from the blast took them both by surprise, and neither resurfaced."

Hinata nodded, meeting Kakashi's eyes. "Then, wouldn't it be likely that they got out together?"

"You mean they both walked out together? No problems?" Kiba replied, sarcasm dripping from his lips. "That doesn't sound realistic at all Hinata."

"I'm not saying they worked together. I'm saying that if Sakura and Itachi landed in a similar area, then if Kisame found one then he would have had to of also found the other close by." Hinata reasoned. Kiba seemed to mull this over, and then nodded with understanding.

"I didn't even think about it, but that makes sense. Besides, I doubt the guy would just abandon his partner like that without knowing he was dead. If he has Sakura, then he had to have the Uchiha." Kiba smirked, climbing onto his dogs back. Akamaru gave a bark, digging a paw into the ground. "How are we going to do this?"

Kakashi looked off to the North, rubbing his chin. "If a clone was really what you three encountered, then we're in the perimeter of their hideout. How far into it I'm not sure, but if we space out we can judge the distance and close in. once we have a general area we can sniff them out."

"I do not believe that will necessary." Sai announced.

Naruto growled, looking at Sai with frustration. "Why not?"

"I've found Sakura."

Xoxoxo

"I know I've seen that tree before."

Yes, the tree with the gap in the center where branches should be and a notch in the stump. In a forest with pine trees that all looked extremely similar, this tree stuck out like a sore thumb.

And she had passed it three times now.

Despite wanting to get to him so badly, Sakura was glad Naruto wasn't around to see this. If he were she wouldn't hear the end of it. She doubted even Itachi had the patience to deal with that boy.

Itachi…oh what had she been thinking.

"_I want you to train me."_

_The words had just slipped out, but now she couldn't take them back. _

"_I can't make you an Uchiha, Haruno. If you go against Sasuke, it will be of your own power."_

"_I know this." She replied, finding her resolve. "I will work hard to become stronger, but being strong alone won't help me. I need to move quicker, think faster, and be a step ahead of him. You are the only one who can give me a fighting chance."_

_Itachi was across the room in seconds, sitting back down on the bed he'd once occupied. When he didn't reply, or even acknowledge her Sakura knew it was over. She'd crossed a line asking him to train her. She would take it back and just find another way to-_

"_Do you love my brother?"_

"_What?" What? _

"_Naruto Uzumaki would justify his actions by calling Sasuke his friend, a brother even. For that kind of relationship, I could see why one would go to such lengths. Is it love that guides your actions now?"_

_Sakura didn't know how to answer. Some time ago she would have immediately answered with a yes, followed by a long declaration of her loyalty to Sasuke. Now though, after wanting him back so long but being hurt by him every step of the way. Something had changed, the feeling wasn't right anymore. _

_Did it matter how she felt about him? She wasn't doing this entirely for Sasuke after all. This had been for Naruto to._

_If the question had been did she love Naruto, the answer would have been a definite yes._

_So then why was she having so much trouble answering Itachi now. Did she or did she not still love Sasuke? Was it enough for her to go through with this? Was it enough to save him?_

"_I don't know anymore."_

_Itachi nodded, almost like he'd expected that answer. _

"_I will see you Thursday, at nightfall."_

She'd left without another word after that, too shocked to say anything further. Itachi Uchiha was going to train her. _The_ Itachi Uchiha. It all seemed like a dream, something she had hallucinated after falling into the mountain. But not, this was real, and in two days' time she would be going head to head with Itachi, without intending to kill him.

"I must be insane."

Yes, she was certainly insane. The likelihood of this all ending well was slim, especially with her track record. Not everyone could have Naruto's luck, or Kakashi's evasiveness. She would have to see this thing through and then deal with the consequences afterward.

Of course she could only do that if she could find her way out of this stupid forest first!

Forgoing ninja stealth she hoisted herself onto the nearest pine, clapped her hand near her mouth and shouted.

"Hello?!"

No answer.

Sakura plopped down to the ground, digging pine needles out of her shirt. It was pretty much destroyed anyways, so there wasn't much point to it. No amount of dry-cleaning or sewing could ever fix this outfit. After that fall she was surprised it was even still on her body. Thank the Lord for small miracles.

If she had been forced to walk half naked in front of S Class criminals that would have been the cherry on her pie of a day.

Sigh. Then again, maybe getting lost was that cherry.

"I just need a sign. Give me something to tell me which direction I need to go." She groaned, laying her head in her hands. Something brushed against her foot, and then against her leg. She was up in seconds, looking out to attack. If it was a snake…no…it's too cold for a snake.

Lying up against her left foot was a mouse…a black _ink_ mouse.

"Sai!" Sakura kneeled down, letting the little creation crawl onto her hand. "I thought you all may have gone back to the village for assistance. Thank goodness you're still here, and ok."

Of course the mouse did not respond, but it did jump from her hand onto the ground. When it started scurrying off she chased after it, hoping she wouldn't lose sight of the darn thing. It reminded her faintly of her Genin days when they spent hours trying to catch a cat for a "mission." She'd never hated cats more than in those days, and that was mostly thanks to Naruto.

"Knucklehead…" _I miss him._

What would she tell them though? 'Hey sorry I worried you. I was just healing the man who made Sasuke leave the village for revenge. By the way I'll be seeing him more often now that I'm healing his eyes in exchange for information and training. Hope you don't mind.'

Yeah…no.

Feigning ignorance seemed like the best option, especially considering the fall she'd taken. It wouldn't take much to convince everyone that she didn't remember much, and the less she had to talk about what happened the better. No one would pressure her if she said she was unconscious most of the time.

Deceitful, just like a criminal. Well, she was sort of becoming one in her own way wasn't she?

Sai's mouse took a sharp turn, and she grasped onto a tree limb to avoid falling. The ink creation glanced back at her for a second before moving again, proving it was indeed guiding her. At least she knew it wouldn't let her get lost.

She'd worry about everything later. Right now she just wanted to go home.

Go home and pretend everything is normal. Just for a little while.

Xoxoxo

Something wasn't right.

"They didn't hurt you did they?" Naruto asked worriedly, pulling the pink haired girl into his arms. Sai watched her smile, a forced smile, much like the ones he used to give. Seeing it made his stomach feel strange. This was…well he wasn't sure how he felt about that yet. Anger was probably the closest he could compare this feeling to.

"I'm fine," She forced out, pushing away. He didn't miss the way she looked away, unable to meet Naruto's eyes. She always did that, when she was avoiding something.

"The Hokage will want to know everything that occurred here." Kakashi interrupted, stepping closer to Sakura. "I know you said that most of what happened to you is a blur, but anything you can recall would be helpful."

She was doing it again, avoiding the eyes. What was she hiding? What did she know? Why didn't she want anyone else to know?

"I think I just need some time. If I remember anything I'll let you know." Another fake smile.

What was he missing? If Sakura's story was indeed true then surely Kisame and Itachi would be on her trail to take her back. His mice had encountered only one water clone, and instead of chasing like Sai had assumed the man would be doing, he had just been standing there. Seconds after finding that clone it had disappeared, and no others had been spotted. For whatever reason, Sakura was not being chased.

It made no sense, and Sai sensed that Kakashi was thinking the very same thing. His faith in his student was clouding his judgment, and he wasn't able to see the way she danced around the subject. Sai could see it all, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know or not. Building trust within a team was important to him now, and bringing this up to Sakura would only break that trust.

But if he was right, and she was hiding something, that was just as important. He needed to know.

"I'm glad you're alright. This spares us the trouble of looking for you." Kiba laughed, hanging his hands behind his head.

"I'm not helpless you know," Sakura replied, crossing her arms. Naruto took advantage of her momentary distracted state and hugged her from behind. She growled, struggling to get out of his grip. Normally she would have utilized her massive strength, but her chakra was low and as such not able to be used for such purposes. "Naruto! I told you I'm fine!"

"What is our plan of action then now that we have found her?" Shino asked, interrupting the strange moment between the two teammates. "Do we search for the Akatsuki or return home?"

Kakashi knew that now would be the opportune time to go after the two elusive Akatsuki members, but…

"We will return to the village, and report everything that occurred today."

He couldn't risk losing her again. The scene on the mountain, he'd played it over in his head so many times it made him sick. All the things he could have done to prevent the fall, all the things he didn't do. Perhaps the result would have been the same no matter what he did, but the fact still remained that he could have done something.

His students were too important to him to risk on a gamble. He wouldn't be so careless this time. No matter the benefit to the village, he wouldn't put Sakura and Naruto in harm's way.

"Great!" Naruto yelled, jumping up. His hands eagerly grasped at Hinata's, and then for Sakura's. With both girls in his grip he smiled, looking off the south. "First one back to the village gets to choose who pays for ramen!"

"You're on!" Kiba shouted, jumping onto his faithful dogs back.

"Naruto, you are not dragging me with you." Sakura growled, yanking her hand away. "You can't force people to join your little competition if they don't want to. You should at least ask."

Naruto frowned, looking at the purple haired girl beside him. "Am I forcing you?"

Hinata blushed, shaking her head. "No. I'll go with you."

Naruto smirked, fist pumping the air. "Great, then let's take a head start!"

Sai felt a since of normalcy returning between them all as everyone rushed to be the first back to Konoha. Normally that would be a great thing, but Sai knew it was a lie, at least for him and Sakura. Normalcy wouldn't return until he knew the truth.

Maybe it wouldn't return even if he did discover the truth.

"Hurry up Sai!" Sakura yelled, glancing back at him as she jumped from tree to tree.

He would put it aside, for now at least.

Xoxoxoxo

**Ok I've kept you guys waiting long enough. There was going to be more to this chapter but I was already having difficulty writing just the few short parts of this one and I didn't want to make you all wait any longer to have a post.**

**I wouldn't say this is one of my best chapters (in fact I would call this a filler more than anything) but it does explain the happenings leading up to the important things. It's a means to an end. I rewrote a few scenes and took out a lot of parts because they didn't seem right (like a full two pages of Kisame and Itachi interaction) so I hope this worked out to everyone's liking. I promise the next chapter will be more interesting! I also hope I answered any questions you all may have had so far (and if I haven't that will come later). **

**I always welcome further questions/comments/ideas so feel free to share. I'm delighted with the reviews I've been getting, and I'm truly happy people are enjoying this story. It makes me eager to continue and post as quickly as possible.**

**Thank you to all who reviewed and continue to review!**


	6. Define Human

"Ow you little booger! That hurt!"

Ino Yamanaka cradled her hand, where a small bite mark from the child in front of her was present. Under normal circumstances she would have annihilated anyone who dare cross her, especially while she is doing them a service, but it would reflect badly upon her if she so much as poked them.

Still, she couldn't remember anyone in her class biting the health examiners.

No, wait, Naruto had. He didn't count though…he was just an idiot.

"Why is it that I'm getting all the biters and you get all the sweet ones?"

Sakura Haruno looked up from her young patient to smirk at her friend. "It could be your personality pig. I would bite you too if I was an Academy student."

Ino glared, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think, _forehead_, that you intentionally sent the bad ones my way." At Sakura's shrug she added, "I'll get you back for this."

Sakura chuckled, turning back to the little boy in front of her to finish the examination. "You can't prove anything Ino."

To be fair it was Ino who had authority to assign the medical ninjas to the children. She had simply given her guidance over whom to place with whom, and Ino had followed her direction perfectly. If anything it was Ino's fault for not knowing the future generation of shinobi very well.

Still, she could understand why Ino didn't like the Academy checkups very well. Their own had been quite annoying, especially since it had to be rescheduled so many times. Back then she hadn't understood why Academy students had to undergo health examinations before studying basic shinobi tactics, but after being a medical ninja for a few years it was obvious. Shinobi needed to be physically able to do pretty much anything. If a child came into the Academy with a medical condition that hindered their ability to perform, then being a shinobi would not be the correct career choice for them.

It's devastating to give that news to a little child, but better than putting them in the line of danger where they would certainly die. Many of the health risk children still found jobs that were attributed to the shinobi way of life, such as jutsu research and herbal research. While Sakura couldn't imagine giving up her job, whether in the hospital or out on missions, she had always imagined living a peaceful life as a mother.

That dream for a shinobi in general is unrealistic, seeing as a ninja's life is missions. You don't really have time for love or children.

She'd learned that at a very early age.

"Ok Sota, everything checks out. You are cleared for study."

The little boy in front of her smiled, clapping his hands excitedly. "Thank goodness! I can't wait to tell father!"

"I'm sure he'll be proud."

Sakura watched the boy bound off toward his friends, smiling happily. It was a sweet scene, one she wished she'd been able to experience. Besides being rescheduled so many times, the whole experience hadn't been enjoyable. In truth, both of her teammates had also not enjoyed it.

Sasuke had passed with flying colors of course, and his elder brother had been the one to pick him up that day instead of his parents. Sakura had heard him asking where his father was, mentioning that he'd promised to take him home today, but Itachi had just shook his head with a sad look. She had wanted to hug him, but that would not have been taken well and her crush was still just developing.

Naruto's experience had been worse (besides him biting the nurse)of course with all the children around him bounding off to tell their families they could become shinobi, and him not being able to tell anyone. No one really ever expected anything of him, or wanted anything of him to tell the truth. In fact, the medical examiners did his examination twice, a rare occurrence. She didn't know why at the time, but it was obviously to find any excuse to keep him from being a shinobi. She wished that now she had approached him, and said something like "congrats Naruto," or "I'm happy for you." Anything would have done the job.

Then again, she was probably too fixed on her own situation. Coming from a civilian family Sakura had dreams bigger than what her family had planned for her. Simply to humor her they allowed her to go through the examination, and when she had passed they didn't take the news as well as she would have liked. It's not like they weren't ok with it now, but back then they hated the idea of her going out into the world and fighting with her very life on the line. Still, it had hurt to see them so disappointed in the result back then, and if it hadn't been for Ino and Sasuke she would have given it all up to make her parents happy.

What a terrible mistake that would have been.

True, if she hadn't decided on her life now, it would have prevented so much bad. Losing Sasuke, watching Chiyo die for another without her being able to do anything, watching Ino cry for the teacher she lost to the Akatsuki. If she had just said no.

But then, she never would have had all the good times either. Like when she passed Kakashi's test, studied with Tsunade, defeated Sasori, and watched her best friend come home after three long years ready to face the world. None of that would have happened if she had just said no.

She hoped Sota, and all of the little children she and Ino had already passed, had the life she'd been given. She wouldn't trade it for anything.

"You girls did a great job." Iruka announced, stepping between Sakura and Ino.

"I'm just glad none of them have rabies." Ino murmured, rubbing her tender arm. Iruka laughed, rubbing the back of his head as he mumbled an apology.

"We're always happy to help sensei." Sakura replied, laying a hand on Ino's head. The blonde got the message and huffed, turning away. "If that's all the children then we will leave to turn in the reports to Lady Hokage."

"Of course," Iruka replied. "You must be terribly busy. Let me go and get you the files on my desk and I'll let the two of you go."

As Iruka walked away Ino groaned, glaring at Sakura. "Have I lost the right to complain about being abused by children?" Sakura frowned, crossing her arms. "Ok so it's unprofessional, but I think I deserve to after five kids mouths have violated my skin."

"Treat it as a patience lesson. Besides we have the rest of the day off because of this. You should be overjoyed." Ino seemed to perk up for a moment at the comment, but it didn't last long. In just a second she hunched back down, sighing to herself.

"Figures my one half day and I have absolutely nothing better to do then clean the shop and sit at home like a loser. Even Shikamaru and Choji are too busy to spend time with me outside of missions these days." Sakura smiled sympathetically, collecting her things from the desk in front of her. "Hey are you doing anything tonight? We could hang out."

Sakura tensed, dropping the pencil in her hand.

Tonight was the night, her first session with the S Class criminal Itachi Uchiha. If Ino even had the slightest inclination to wonder how Sakura was spending her time, the girl would do anything to find out. She couldn't afford to let her be interested, but she couldn't spend time with her tonight either.

"I'm busy tonight but maybe another time."

Ino scoffed, waving her hand. "What do you have to do tonight that you can't blow off?"

Luckily Iruka came back before Sakura had to answer, laying the file in her hands. "This should be everything. I've organized the clan children into the second half of the folder so it will be easier to sort through."

Oh yes that would be extremely helpful. Tsunade hated sorting things on her own. That usually meant poor Shizune would be stuck doing all the work.

"Thank you very much." Before Ino could grab her stack Sakura took hold of it, adding it to her pile. "I'll take care of this for you Ino. Spare you the trip."

Sakura prayed Ino would take the bait and just go home. Lying was never her strong suit, and finding a lie about tonight that would be good enough for Ino to leave her alone seemed impossible. Avoiding was the only route to take.

The blonde shrugged, heading toward the door with a wave. "Ok then. I won't fight you on this one." As her hand touched the knob she turned, looking Sakura in the eye. "If you get time tonight stop by my house, ok forehead."

Sakura nodded, hiding the relief. Ino gave another wave and left, disappearing around the corner.

"Oh I've been meaning to ask you something," Iruka started, turning Sakura's attention back to him. "I haven't seen Naruto lately. How had he been?"

"Great. He's just been busy training lately. I'll tell him to visit you when I see him next."

Iruka smiled. "I would appreciate that very much. I miss seeing his face around, but I know it's for a good cause. I heard he just got back from an extended mission a couple days ago."

Sakura smiled hesitantly. "Yeah, it did take a little longer than expected."

Iruka layed a hand on her shoulder. "I heard what happened. Are you doing alright?"

Sakura nodded, keeping a forced smile on her face. "It wasn't so bad. Could have been worse I guess."

They had all made it back in one piece, thankfully. After they'd reported to the Hokage she'd retreated to her home to sleep, but it had been in vain. Sleep didn't come easily that night, and everyone at the hospital had noticed the next day.

Worse was that Sai had visited her at her job the past couple days. While they were friends he never took the time to visit her, and without giving her a good reason either. She hoped it was just something weird he was reading about that made him stalk her.

If not, it would only make matters worse from her. Hiding things from Ino was hard, but Sai had a good eye for the out of the ordinary.

"Just be careful Sakura. If Naruto were to lose you, I'm not sure what he'd do. He goes to such great lengths to protect you, and rescue you whenever you need him." Iruka smiled, developing a faraway look in his eyes. "As much as I believe he can do anything, sometimes things happen that are out of our control."

Sakura gathered her paperwork and headed for the door, pausing only briefly to say, "I know."

She didn't wait to hear Iruka's reply, or see the look on his face. Thankfully the hallways were empty, giving her no traffic to fight through to exit the building. If anyone had been around, they might see the look on her face, and know how distraught she was.

He couldn't have been any clearer if he'd simply come out and said, "Your friends always have to save you, don't they?" granted he hadn't actually worded it like that, and you had to be keyed in to both his facial expressions and wording to know the truth, but Sakura was best at analyzing. Ever since she was a Genin she'd been being rescued, and it was only natural for Iruka to think the same happened two days ago.

After all Naruto was the stronger of the two of them. Then combined with the Anbu Sai, the former Anbu Kakashi, and the occasional Anbu Yamato the team was quite remarkable.

Then you have Sakura Haruno, the girl who couldn't make a mark fighting so she decided on the less fierce skill of healing. Disregard the fact that the ground breaks apart with one punch, and her analytical skills are top marked. She can't do anything but play damsel and hoped to be rescued. She's no good for missions, only to work at the hospital and stay safe.

Perhaps Iruka's words wouldn't have hurt so badly, if she hadn't heard something similar from her mentor. The one person she thought would never look down on her.

Two days ago that all changed.

"_That was a very reckless move you made on that mountain Sakura."_

"_I know Lady Tsunade. I just saw an opportunity and took advantage of it without thinking of the outside possibilities first. I caused the mission to be a failure with my actions."_

_Tsunade frowned, leaning forward against her desk. "I could care less about the mission Sakura. What I care about is the fact that you endangered your entire team, and yourself. As a medic you've learned about self-preservation, and utilizing your chakra in necessary amounts in necessary situations. You're skill is a great one for open spaces and tough situations, but not for on top of mountains with a lot of allies surrounding you."_

_Ok so she messed up. She was already well aware. Going through it in her mind she could have altered a lot of things to have a different outcome, but things couldn't be changed now. Pointing them out wouldn't change anything._

"_I'm sorry Lady Tsunade. My judgment will be sharper from now on."_

"_It had best be. I don't appreciate knowing that my pupil is in the hands of an organization bent on destroying everything we hold dear. Under normal circumstances I should punish you for allowing yourself to be compromised like that." Sakura flinched, lowering her head. "But, I am not without understanding. The fall did render you unconscious, and unable to act for yourself against the Akatsuki until later. You did manage to escape on your own as well. I will overlook everything else, because you all came back safe."_

_Sakura bowed, thanking her several times. The Hokage nodded, folding her hands on the desk. _

"_Don't make me worry like that again Sakura."_

"_Yes Milady."_

She almost wished Tsunade had punished her. It would have really solidified the disappointment. She hadn't thought about her mistake so much until Tsunade had brought it up, and to be frank she didn't want to think about it. The situation had been dire, and if she lost control of it to quickly people could have been hurt and they would have lost the target to the Akatsuki. Granted her option hadn't helped things much, but in the end the Akatsuki didn't get what they came for and her team ended up safe and ok.

Safe…not because of her.

Most others would have thought of a safer way to capture the target, one that required less damage to the surroundings.

Fact is, she hadn't thought for one second about another attack. She'd become accustomed to the bang of her punch, and had enhanced it over time. While Naruto was out learning new jutsu and enhancing his skills she was focusing on a single skill. Her downfall.

She was the weakest of team seven, because she didn't put in the time to advance what wasn't even up to par with others. Taijutsu, speed, stamina, genjutsu, all of those required practice to excel and she didn't spare them the time. Her medical jutsu and her strength were her focus.

She blamed a part of that on her mentor, who taught her the skills and told her she should focus mainly on protecting herself. as such she had only focused on training herself for stealth, medical ninjutsu, and her main attack for just in case purposes. She hadn't even bothered learning anything else because she wasn't supposed to be fighting.

It would only hold her back from what she was "best" at.

Still, she couldn't lay all the blame on Tsunade. It was also her fault for not caring enough about the other aspects of shinobi life. That was something that would be changing now, and she would welcome the change.

First though, she needed to make a serious request.

Xoxoxo

"I would like to take a temporary leave from the hospital."

The room was still intact, and she was still breathing. Signs that things were going good so far right?

Tsunade glanced up from the files Sakura had previously laid on her desk, giving a hard stare at her former student. "Can you repeat that, Haruno Sakura?"

That wasn't good. Now wasn't the time to chicken out though. The words were already out there, Tsunade just wanted a conformation. Or perhaps for her to quickly change her mind and run out the door.

"I am requesting a temporary leave from hospital duties."

"Why?"

It was difficult to maintain eye contact with the older lady, especially when her eyes seemed to be very slowly narrowing, but she had to do it. If she looked away that would be like backing down.

"I intend to perfect the skills I have neglected through intense training. Of course, I did have full intentions of requesting permission to also be taken off the mission's roster for a few weeks, but I didn't want to push my luck."

Her hands were getting sweaty now. She's a shinobi, not a baby! C'mon act like you mean what you are saying and stand tall.

Tsunade stood, and the sound of the chair squeaking make Sakura shiver. "I will have a short staff at the hospital without you Sakura, and medical ninjas are extremely helpful with missions. I don't have too many I trust to send out with specific teams." Sakura nodded, finally looking away from Tsunade's eyes.

"I fully understand Milady."

"If I told you no, what would your answer be?"

Sakura frowned, straightening herself. It didn't take long for her to decide. "It would affect my performance at work and on missions, but I would continue with my plan to train. If I have to do so without sleep I will." Sakura smiled, thinking about Naruto. His resolve was unbeatable, but if she could have just a smidge she would take it now. "I'm not going to stay the way I am now."

The Hokage walked slowly over to a cabinet across the room, opening the top drawer. Sakura watched as she brushed through files, files that Sakura faintly remembered to be mission request. As she continued searching, Lady Tsunade spoke.

"Your request is granted, on a couple conditions." Sakura smiled, nodding her head furiously. Tsunade glanced back briefly to smile at the kunoichi's excitement, but then returned to her previous actions. "I will remove you from the mission's roster until you feel you are ready to be placed back on. I shall also give you temporary leave from your hospital duties. After two weeks I will personally witness how your skills have developed, and if they have not I will place you back on hospital duty and you will be back on the mission's roster. If you have advanced greatly I will keep you off the roster and out of the hospital for as long as you need, unless of course I need you urgently on a mission. Do we have an agreement?"

"Yes!" Sakura yelled, smiling widely. This was her chance! This was her chance to prove her worth.

"I know you won't disappoint me."

No, she certainly didn't want to but…

Tsunade would surely take back those words if she knew her training was coming from an S Class criminal.

Xoxoxo

The human brain works in mysterious ways.

There are times in your life when you'll associate one thing with another and the rest of your life you'll think of something while looking at something else. For instance if you eat a tomato and throw up once, you'll forever think tomatoes make you throw up, so you don't eat them anymore.

Or you'll look at the dark forest and remember your two best friends being tortured by Orochimaru, and never want to step anywhere near that place again.

She'd been there only a couple of times after the exams, and strictly to collect plants for medical purposes. She got the same sick feeling every time though, and sometimes she even thought she could see Orochimaru watching her, laughing at her feeble attempts to protect her teammates. Her weaknesses his to exploit.

Would Itachi be able to see them too?

"To be stronger…we need to face this…" Sakura chanted, stepping closer to the gates.

_No way will he survive that fall…_

"_Hold on!"_

"_Sasuke what's wrong with you?!"_

"_Sasuke you did it!"_

"_Such mastery of the Sharingan at such a young age. You're a true Uchiha after all."_

"_I just gave him a parting gift."_

The curse mark, Orochimaru, it all started in that stupid forest. The day everything started to crumble. Now she was to try and build it back up in the same place. The irony of it all.

The usual guards patrolled in certain sections at exact intervals, and thankfully tactical planning was one of her specialties. Jumping over the gate at the exact right minute was the easy part, but getting to the center would be the hard part. As a Genin it was terrifying, and even now she hated all the creepy crawlies in the forest.

Not to mention it was nightfall, and visibility was low. That made the danger all the more present. The perfect scene for sneaking around and doing traitorous things right?

They hadn't specified an exact location, and going to the tower in the center would be a gamble. There wasn't always a guard there, but if today was that day then Itachi wouldn't be foolish enough to go there. If he was though, and she didn't risk the venture then she would be stuck searching around for no results.

"I guess it wouldn't be a good idea to call out for him either." The guards weren't close by, but they would surely hear her if she yelled.

"An obvious statement."

Sakura sprang, launching a kunai into…

…a tree?

A tap on her shoulder directed her to the one who had spoken.

Itachi. He'd found her first, and moved so fast!

"You're observational skills need work, as well as your tracking." He remarked, looking to the space in between the two trees he'd been near. "I left noticeable hints for you to take note of, which I'm assuming you did not."

She glared, taking in his appearance.

He wasn't wearing his cloak, or his hitai attai. He was dressed only in regular ninja attire, what one would regard as a casual piece. She hadn't expected him to go anywhere without parading his organizations colors. He's a criminal so why not promise his criminal actions?

"The cloak was unnecessary."

What did he read minds?!

"Your face gives everything away. Learning to hide your emotions is key."

Sakura crossed her arms, looking into his obsidian eyes. "Are you going to teach me or do you want me to start on my end of the bargain?"

Itachi smirked, and his eyes flashed to red. "You're impatient. That's not a trait shinobi's should adapt."

Hadn't she heard enough of what she was doing wrong today? All she wanted was to improve that now. Was it really too much to ask or was he going to play with her head all night?

She felt his hand against her arm and froze, looking to see what he was doing. He paused momentarily when he felt her tense, but soon continued, pulling her arm until it stretched straight out. It wasn't until he turned her palm up that she realized what he was doing.

"I didn't bother healing the scar. It's superficial."

Itachi examined the thin line on her wrist before dropping her hand, backing away a few steps. "Covering your bases is also a necessity in the shinobi world. If your mentor had noticed the mark, it may have raised unwelcome questions."

Sakura growled. "No one noticed. I didn't think it was a problem."

"It very easily could have become one." Itachi replied evenly, watching her.

Just like the mountain…when she'd made one mistake she didn't think could turn into a problem. She hadn't thought twice about it. She'd just done it, just like she didn't heal the wound. Would she be doomed to make stupid mistakes? Doomed to be weak simply because of her poor decisions.

"I'll fix it. I'll fix everything alright. I'm not going to be weak, and I'm going to change ok? So stop telling me that everything I do isn't good enough, or is wrong, or hurts others. Just stop." Sakura gripped her shoulders, closing her eyes. She hadn't meant to say so much, it was just another thing she didn't think about. Controlling her emotions had never been easy, and now it would end up getting her into trouble.

"If you can't handle criticism, Haruno, then you are sorely mistaken in your career choice as well as your goal." Itachi murmured. She heard him take a few steps forward, until his breath was on her forehead, moving her hair a bit with each outtake. "There is not a single shinobi without weakness. That only becomes a problem, when someone is unwilling to accept that weakness, and unwilling to change. You came to me intending to become stronger, and that is all I need to tell me you are not weak."

Sakura opened her eyes, looking straight into the Sharingan. She didn't feel any fear though, not even anger.

"I still hate you." She murmured, halfheartedly.

Itachi nodded, patting her on the head. "I've noticed your strength requires close combat, so tonight we're going to work on your speed."

Sakura rubbed her head where he had touched, crinkling her face. "So how will speed help with my strength?"

Itachi reached into his side bag, retrieving several kunai. "You're chakra control is excellent, and great for destroying large structures. Unfortunately, you have to be close to an enemy to damage them, and sometimes that isn't possible." With a flick of the wrist several kunai went soaring, landing solidly into tree trunks and on the ground in several places. "When it is possible, you must be aware of the enemy's position, and you have to get to them quickly. They will see you coming, and it is imperative that you be able to keep up with them until you can land a solid blow at the right moment."

"So basically if I'm faster than my opponent, I'll be able to get close enough to land a solid punch to their bodies instead of the ground around them." Itachi nodded. "So what are the kunai for?"

"You and I are going to retrieve these kunai. The goal is for you to retrieve more than I can. There are fifteen so eight is the lowest amount you will need to beat me."

Sakura grimaced. It seemed like long ago, but it wasn't even that long that she had gone against Itachi with Naruto and Kakashi to save Gaara. He had been so fast, too fast for her eyes to follow. Even his hand signs couldn't be followed. She wasn't the slowest, but against Itachi she had no chance.

Would he really do this all night if she couldn't beat him?

"Go."

Xoxoxo

Yes…he would…

"Are you a genetically modified robot? We've done this twenty three times and the highest I've collected comes to five." Sakura leaned her head back against the tree she was resting against, rubbing her foot. She'd pumped a large amount of chakra into it to enhance her speed, but in the end it still hadn't done any good, and she'd developed blisters.

Even worse, Itachi hadn't even broken a sweat. She'd also examined his chakra levels and they hadn't fluctuated nearly as high as hers had.

A hand stretched out near her face, offering a bottle of water.

"Did you poison it?" It was meant as a joke, really, but she wondered if that was the right thing to say.

"No Haruno, I did not." He moved the bottle closer, and she hesitantly reached up and took it, sighing at the blessed cold against her fingers.

"Ah this feels so good." The bottle was immediately against her face, and she smiled. How did he keep the bottle so cool?

Why would he bother to bring one for her? Unless it was his?

No, he wouldn't give this to her if it was his. Would he?

"Do you have a drink?"

Itachi shook his head, taking a seat by the tree adjacent to hers. "You need it more than I do."

Sakura stuck her tongue out, and he raised a brow at her. "It's your fault. I didn't think I was that slow until today you know. I've begun debating if you're really human or not and if this is really a fair assessment of my skills."

"Perhaps I'm no longer human. I wouldn't know how to define one."

Sakura bit her lip, looking up at the tree tops. "That's a hard question." She lifted the bottle to her lips, taking a small drink. The water was cool against her throat, and felt absolutely amazing. "I would guess that the answer would be different from person to person."

"So it's an opinion rather than a fact."

Sakura shook her head, tilting her head to look at Itachi. He was staring intently, paying close attention. "No, because if you truly believe something like that, then I think it becomes a fact. Even if it's only a fact to you. After all we each have perceptions of the world that are different right, so they become our fact. This is pretty much the same."

Itachi glanced away, staring into the distance. "You are right, but that still leaves the question."

"What is your definition of a human?"

Sakura laid her hand against the grass, pulling pieces of it up and then letting it go. "I guess it would be somebody who isn't perfect. Someone who knows they make mistakes but strives to be better, and makes goals for themselves." She thought of Sai, who's been forced to remove his emotions. The shell he'd once been. "Someone who has compassion for others, and doesn't hide the fact that they have emotions." Naruto… "Someone who would trade there life for someone they care about, without a second thought. Who puts others above themselves more often than not, and doesn't see it as a hindrance."

She glanced at Itachi, wary of the awkward silence between them. He just sat there, seeming to think it all over.

He stood without a word, sending kunai into the trees around them again.

"This time I want you to think about the things that make you human Haruno. If it means as much as you believe it does, then make it a fact."

Sakura laid the bottle down, forcing herself to her feat. Itachi watched her stand and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Sakura did the same, moving her body into the proper stance for speed.

"Go."

It was only one above the half mark, but she had finally gotten the eighth kunai.

And it was when Itachi smiled that she realized maybe he wasn't so inhuman after all.

Xoxoxo

**Sorry about the wait, this was difficult for me. From here out I want to pull focus to Itachi and Sakura so I had to start thinking of how to introduce the building relationship, but first I had to get to it. So this is what I came up with. I actually edited it several times, taking out parts with her speaking to Kakashi, inserting the part with Iruka, redoing it…blah blah blah…so yeah. This took a lot of editing work. **

**So I put a moderate amount of interaction for the first night of training with Sakura and Itachi, but that'll change as the relationship grows. The focus is on them now, so I have more to come. **

**Also I did want to get this to you quickly, because you have been waiting a bit, so I didn't go over the grammar quite as much as I should have. Ignore the multiple mistakes as I apologize for them now. **

**Hope you enjoyed it and any suggestions/questions/comments are welcome. Thank you. **


	7. Till We're Numb

In the shinobi world you had to be prepared to adapt, to change to suit your purpose or surroundings. It was a simply as breathing at times, and then sometimes it was more difficult than trying to convince Naruto that ramen wasn't the best food on the planet.

Sakura was used to change, and the majority of the time she didn't mind it. Heck, she didn't even notice it half the time until it was brought to her attention.

She guessed that was why it took her so long to realize just how quickly things had changed between her and Itachi in the span of just four training/healing sessions.

"Look up."

Sharingan glanced upward, starting her directly in the eye. Two days ago this would have bothered her severely (and it had, to the point that she'd had to kneel down and avoid the stare just to continue working) but now it was all too easy to look him in the eye. In fact, she often found herself staring just for the heck of it, studying every contour of his Sharingan until she had it memorized.

She sent a small amount of healing chakra into his retina, focusing on healing the damage there first. It had been extensive, so much so that she hadn't thought she could do much for him. She'd cut the healing session short the second day they met, saying that she would have to look over something before her next healing session. Itachi had understood, seeming ok with the deterrence.

The Hyuuga's byukugan was nothing compared to the Sharingan. She'd spent the whole night and most of the next day learning about the kekkei genkai, and had finally come up with a solution for his ocular damage. Of course, it was somewhat of a theory, but she honestly couldn't damage them any further than they already were.

"Close your eyes."

Originally he'd been hesitant to put himself in any position where she could get the best of him, but now he closed his eyes without a moment's hesitation, letting her poke and prod inside him like it was second nature. She would have called him foolish, especially since she held the power to completely blind him (though she wouldn't…couldn't really…) if not for the fact that she herself had been found guilty of the same thing.

Several times she'd found herself lowering her guard around him. It had first happened yesterday, when she'd entered the Forest of Death intent on finding him. She'd found Itachi of course, but things hadn't started out quite like she'd planned.

"_Down Haruno!"_

_Her body reacted immediately, throwing itself down to the ground just as the tail of a giant bug slashed right where she had just been. A moment's hesitation would have been the end of he, especially with the spikes on that thing._

_Itachi moved quickly, flashing in front of her in and instant, a ball of fire flowing out of his mouth toward the giant bug. _

_All of the smoke, combined with the darkness of night made it nearly impossible to make out anything. Yet the small bit of noise ahead signaled the bug hadn't been killed by the attack. Itachi suspected it had a strong enough outer shell to protect it._

"_I'm going to throw you at the skull Haruno."_

_She extended her hand, standing. He took it just as a green fluid came toward them, barely missing the both of them. Itachi spun Sakura around once, and then released her into the smoke._

_She couldn't see anything, or even hear anything over the sound of her own erratic heartbeat. Yet she still managed to land a direct blow on the skull of the bug, killing it perfectly. _

She'd allowed herself to be used at a weapon, against an useable foe, trusting fully in Itachi's intuition and failing sight. Trusting an _S Class Criminal_.

She felt the retina tissue expand, threading together again slowly. Itachi's eye twitched just slightly, enough for her trained eye to catch. The process was painful, and he'd already had enough by displaying that slip up.

"I'm finished for tonight."

He opened his eyes again, blinking carefully. She observed him closely, watching for any sign of discomfort, or a lack of improvement. When the irritation was finally gone she saw his eyes widen just a fraction, and glance to the left and right. He was testing them out, seeing the change. That meant there was improvement.

Itachi had always been extremely talented in reading people, so the fact that he found her to be like an open book was understandable. Now though, she found she could read him just a little better than she'd been able to before. Like the way his mouth would twitch at the end when he wanted to smile, or the way his hand would go to his forehead when he was agitated. Little things like that.

Like now, that twitch. She wondered idly why he didn't just go ahead and smile. He was obviously happy with the improvements in his vision. She'd seem him smile before, so why hide it now?

Why hide happiness at all?

It was awful of her, because she knew she shouldn't care, but she truly wanted to see Itachi Uchiha let his emotions free. It was much like being with Sai. He was an especially skilled ninja, but so emotionally constipated she often found herself getting headaches around him.

Itachi wasn't quite as bad, but he was definitely in need of improvement.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Just try not to strain them too much. This is a very crucial stage in the healing process, and if you overuse them now it could cause irreparable damage."

Itachi nodded, moving to sit up. Sakura touched his shoulder, shaking her head. "Will you allow me to check your lungs before we start training? It's been about a week since I finished the procedure so now is as good a time as any."

"Do as you wish." Itachi settled himself back against the tree, closing his eyes to relieve the strain.

Sakura kneeled down this time, placing her hands against his chest. As soon as she sent her chakra into his system she could see a dramatic change. It reminded her of Naruto, and his accelerated healing rate due to the chakra of the nine tailed fox inside him. One moment, he could have a large gash on the side of his face, and within minutes it would be nothing but a scar.

Looking at Itachi's lungs now, was like looking at a scar. There was no remnant of the damage that had used to be there, and the tissue was healthier than ever. She would even venture to say that it was on par now with what normal lung tissue should appear like.

It was extremely good news, and even more so because the antibodies were still continuing to do their job. Another seven days and he would be as healthy as Naruto.

She had worried about the remaining four cells inside her body, and then about the negative side effects of the procedure she'd performed on Itachi. If she was going to die from it though, surely she would have already felt the effects wearing on her. The records from previous attempts always revealed the doctor passing within three days.

She was already beyond that mark, and feeling perfectly fine. Her first theory had been that she had simply gotten lucky, but that was silly. Luck didn't have anything to do with it.

So she'd been forced to do a full examination on herself, and the results had been unexpected. She wasn't entirely sure if what she'd concluded was accurate or not, but based on her initial examination she was only alive because of the slip up caused by Kisame.

In every record she'd managed to take from Tsunade's office, there had been a direct correlation of survival based on the fact that no one had ever secured the antibodies in their systems. They'd simply introduced the virus into their system, without having a way to fight it. It made perfect sense, considering the fact that none of the medics would have thought to keep any of the antibodies. She hadn't even wanted to keep the ones she had remaining. It had been purely accident.

An accident that had saved her life.

Unknowingly, she had given herself the cure to what would have been her fatal disease.

Those four antibody cells she'd been cleansing to fight the disease inside of Itachi, were fighting the disease trying to spread through her body. In other words, the only thing keeping her alive at the moment was technically Itachi Uchiha.

She had debated telling him this, especially after she confirmed her suspicions, but the information wasn't necessary to share. He was still the enemy, and if he could find any way to use this against her he surely would. It was best to keep this knowledge to herself and watch the antibodies very closely for any change.

Hopefully there wouldn't be any, and all would be well. Perhaps, with enough time, she could convince Tsunade to once again start allowing the use of the procedure. Saving lives, helping people, it would be a break through. All because of a criminal and the girl who wouldn't let him die.

"You are thinking rather deeply. Is something wrong?"

Sakura opened her eyes, taking her hands away from his chest. She had almost forgotten what it was she was doing. How embarrassing.

"No, nothing is wrong. In fact everything is looking perfect. The disease is all but purged from your system and the healing process is progressing nicely." He nodded, rising from his seated position to stand in front of her. "Did you doubt my skills?"

"No." He answered, moving past her. She felt his presence behind her and tried to turn around but he held her shoulders, halting her movement. "Stay Haruno."

She heard a rustling, and then something was being placed over her eyes. "What are you doing?!" She exclaimed. He ignored her, and she felt the object tighten around her head. When he finished she reached up and touched it, feeling smooth metal, and then lines. His forehead protector. Why would he tie that around her head though?

"You will not be using your eyes today, as they will be your greatest weakness against Sasuke. Instead you will be using two things to locate my position." He turned her around to face him, and his hand lightly grazed her right ear. "Your ears will be useful, but they are not always dependable. Along with your ears you will be using your chakra to locate me."

"My chakra? I'm not a sensory type Uchiha. I can't locate people like that." She explained, crossing her arms.

"I'm aware. I know you possess a great deal of chakra control, and when used correctly it can be applied much the same way as sensory." His hand gripped her own, and as he pulled she kneeled, until he hand was touching the ground. "I want you to picture someone walking around us. What would that do to the ground?"

"Vibrations." Sakura answered, letting her fingers move through the grass.

"On a smaller scale, vibrations can be used to locate things. With chakra, it's like seeing everything around you. Much like if you possessed the Byukugan for two seconds."

"How?" Sakura asked.

"It is most commonly done by using ones foot, but we will start with your hands." Itachi replied. He pushed her hand into the ground, and she felt his chakra around her hand, moving toward the ground. "Just as you use chakra control to force grounds to crumble, this time you need to alter that energy to a smaller scale. A pulse is all you need, enough to send a small vibration of chakra through the ground." She felt the chakra contort, and then it was gone.

She hadn't felt anything though? Were the vibrations that small, or had he failed?

"Did it work?"

"Yes. I only sent a small pulse, enough to feel you and the tree behind you. If I sent more chakra, I would be able to see more."

"Did you teach this to yourself?"

"When your eyes betray you, it becomes important to find a substitute."

Sakura nodded, understanding. "I want to try."

Her hand was released, and Itachi's presence was no longer in front of her. That was his way of giving her the ok.

She pulled her chakra toward her hand, much the same as if she were going to punch the ground, and lowered it down. She expected to send a pulse right through, but the resulting sound meant she'd broken ground.

Too much chakra. "Darnit."

Itachi said nothing, did nothing to give away his presence, but she could almost feel his smirk. After being trained destructive uses it was difficult to alter it into something weaker.

"Again." She lowered her palm again, this time altering the amount of chakra. Much like before she heard the ground break, and she cursed. "Again!" She yelled.

It was a full thirty minutes before she was finally able to send out a pulse. It was weak, but there none the less. She could see it, the ground through her chakra. The bottom of her shoes, the blades of grass by her sides. Her chakra could feel it all, and now she could see it all.

She sent out another pulse, this time stronger. Again she could see everything, crystal clear. She'd actually done it! She wanted to scream with joy, but now was the time to listen with her ears, and locate with her chakra. She hadn't done all this for nothing.

She took a deep breathing, pushed another pulse through the ground…and frowned.

He couldn't have…there is no way.

She did it again to confirm, and then glared under the forehead protector. "You've been sitting behind me this whole time."

She felt the hand on the back of her head, undoing the tie. It fell back, and she opened her eyes, turning to glared at the Uchiha behind her. There was a glint in his eye, mischievous and angering.

"Had you wanted to be here for hours, I would have hidden a much greater distance." He replied shortly, placing the forehead protector back on his head. She watched the metal glint as the moonlight touched it, revealing the slash through the leaf symbol. His symbol of betrayal and hatred for Konoha.

Hatred for her.

"Can we end it here for tonight?" She asked, suddenly feeling sick.

Itachi nodded, noticing her change in mood. "Tomorrow."

She nodded, waving a quick goodbye before taking off as fast as she could toward the exit.

Even when she reached the safety of her home, she felt empty. So she did the only thing she could think to do. She grabbed the picture of Team Seven on the nightstand and pulled it close to her as she crawled into bed.

Sleep did not come to her that night.

Xoxoxo

_Had she known what would occur that following day, she would have never gotten out of bed. _

"The Hokage has requested we be at her office immediately." Sai repeated.

Sakura rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, nodding in understanding. "Let me get dressed and I'll be right behind you."

_Had she known the news that would follow, she would have taken her time dressing._

"You haven't been yourself lately." Sai murmured as they walked through the halls toward the Hokage's office. "Is anything bothering you."

He was picking, as Sakura knew he eventually would, but she wouldn't let him get what he wanted.

"I'm fine. I've just been tired lately with all the training I've been doing."

Sai nodded, though he didn't seem to fully believe her. It was ok, as long as he didn't pose any more questions.

_Had she known what would happen in just a few minutes she would have spoken with Sai much longer. _

"Jiraiya boy has died in battle."

_Had she known…she would have never turned down Naruto's offer to eat ramen the day before. _

Xoxoxo

She didn't go to see him that night. She half expected him to burst through her apartment window, asking why she wasn't at the Forest of Death.

But that was a stupid thought. Why would he bother caring if she showed one night or not? Why bother caring about her at all.

She hadn't been able to do anything for Naruto in the end. No words could express to sorrow, no actions could give comfort, and all he wanted was space. Of all the things he wanted, that was the most difficult for her to give. She wanted to be there for him, to tell him things were going to be alright, but it wouldn't matter.

Just like it hadn't mattered for Tsunade either. Her own master and she couldn't do anything to make her feel better, to encourage her. The two most important people in her life and she couldn't do anything to help them.

What kind of friend was she if she couldn't help those most important to her in their times of need?!

What kind of person did that make her?

Useless…just like she'd always been…

…and always would be.

Xoxoxo

Rain always made her feel more alive. The constant motion against her skin, and the cold droplets seeping into her cloths kept her moving, awake. That was why she took every opportunity she could to practice in the rain, despite the warnings from her friends.

She was a medic; she knew very well the limits her body could handle. With rain and cold, there was a very fine line between ok and hypothermia with her. Most days she found that ten to twenty minutes was the most she could handle before she had to go inside and warm up.

Today was different. Today she wanted to be numb.

"Cha!"

Another crater in the ground. The same as four others she'd created. Training ground three was littered with them. She didn't care. She'd cover the whole ground with them until she dropped.

She charged her fist up, intent on throwing another punch.

"The ground has suffered enough, kunoichi."

She didn't respond. When he realized what she was doing she heard him take a step forward, and then another until he was only a few feet away.

From this proximity Itachi could clearly see every inch of the kunoichi in front of him, and he didn't like what he was seeing.

The constant downpour of rain had soaked her completely. Every strand of hair was dripping, and the clothing she had on clung to her like a second skin. Her very skin was layed in water, and he knew without a doubt that if he were to touch her now she would be freezing. He wasn't quite sure how long she'd been out in this weather, but it seemed like enough to have bad effects on her health.

She didn't seem to care either, like she wanted the rain to freeze her. As if the numbness would be better than whatever it was that caused her to come out in the first place.

Her eyes told a story, and it was full of malice and regret.

He'd come with the intention of asking why she hadn't shown up to train with him before, but now it hardly seemed to matter. What he needed to know now was why she was torturing herself.

"Haruno."

"Don't talk to me Uchiha."

Itachi frowned, noticing the edge in her voice. She was on guard, and angry. Something had happened between the last training session, and now. Obviously whatever it was involved him in some way.

Still, he couldn't allow her to kill herself. The way her body shivered and the slight twinge of blue in her lips was enough to let him know she was already sick, and staying in this weather longer would only make things worse. Getting her out of this weather was first priority.

"Go home Haruno."

"Screw you Uchiha."

His frown deepened, kekkei genkai activated. The kunoichi was quick to turn away, making no eye contact with his form at all. Genjutsu would be difficult to accomplish with her stubborn nature. If they fought now that would also attract unnecessary attention, and worsen her already deteriorating condition.

He was faster, granted, but if he made a move now then the cause of this tantrum would remain unknown. While he needed to get her to shelter, he also desired to know the reason for her anger. It was selfish of him, and unprofessional, but he needed to know.

"Just leave me alone. I'm finished."

Finished with what? The training? The healing? Life?

Itachi took another step forward, and she turned on him, hands up in defense. Her eyes were wild, so full of anger that they reminded him of another pair. A pair that looked at him with hatred unrivaled.

_Sasuke…_

"Are you so quick to give up?"

She was quick, so quick in fact that he'd almost been the victim of a nasty punch to the face. His feet slid across the muddied earth, finding balance finally before they had to dodge yet another punch.

"I hate you! I hate you!"

Her movements were uncoordinated, guided by anger and…grief.

This shinobi…no…this _girl_ was suffering.

"How much more will you make him suffer before your satisfied!" Another punch, dodged narrowly. "How many tears must be shed before you are content?!"

He sidestepped her onslaught, face impassive. This only seemed to anger her further, and she growled as she launched herself at him again.

"Are you happy now?! Are you happy that both of them are locked away, not responding to a single voice, no matter how desperately I call! No matter the words of comfort! Are you happy?!"

This time he didn't move as she jumped, and both went crashing to the ground. He felt her hands grasp at his collar, yanking him up until he was face to face with her.

"He's hurting and it's your fault!" She yelled, yanking him back and forth. "It's all your fault!"

The water dripping onto his face now was no longer that of rain. Tears, hers, were sliding down her cheeks onto his own. As it always seemed to happen with this particular girl, he had absolutely no idea what to do. It had been so long since he'd ever seen anyone crying in front of him, and even then he hadn't dealt well with those situations.

He saw her hand moving to slap him and grabbed it, holding tightly. She pulled against him, but to no avail. He wouldn't release her.

"Sakura." Her eyes were closed now, and if he weren't directly under he wouldn't have been able to see her face for how low her head was bent. "Tell me what happened."

"I can't help them. They're suffering and I'm useless!" The hand left holding his collar was shaking fiercely now. Her next words were spoken so quietly he had to strain to hear. "He was so important to Naruto… Tsunade…the entire village. Now he's gone."

Itachi narrowed down the list from there, understanding that the cause of this grief was the death of a person. The fact that Sakura was more concerned about the effects of others meant this person hadn't been especially close to her, but rather the two in question. That eliminated any of the friends both of them shared, including their former sensei Kakashi Hatake.

The only possibilities would be those of mentors, and while Tsunade was still alive that left only one possibility.

Jiraiya, the Legendary Sannin himself.

If Jiraiya had indeed fallen, and the kunoichi was angered with him, that meant a member of the Akatsuki had killed him. Among their group Itachi knew of only two that would possess enough strength to take out Jiraiya. One would never foolishly reveal himself without need, and this would not have been one of those circumstances.

That left Pein, the wielder of the Rennigan.

Itachi had never thought Jiraiya to be foolish enough to take on the Leader of Akatsuki without enough information. It was a suicide mission in itself just to enter into Amekagure without special permission, and then to take on the "god" –as Pein often referred to himself as—of the country…he must have had something going on in his mind.

Itachi turned his attention back to the girl on top of him, noticing that her eyes were opened again and narrowed. Her anger was returning, but something in her eyes was different.

"Why does everything he cares about get taken away from him?" She whispered. Itachi watched her head lower, until her forehead met his. "I don't want promises anymore. I just want him to be happy. Why can't you let us be happy?!"

Her head moved to the side, her chin leaning against his shoulder. Her skin was freezing against his own, and he fought the urge to shiver. He felt the hand gripping his collar loosen, moving to his shoulder.

"Why won't you come back?!"

It was then that he understood. It wasn't about him anymore, or his organization. That look in her eyes, that faraway gaze, she'd been seeing someone entirely different. Someone he cared about more than anyone. Someone he would have never once thought ill of.

Until this very moment, when the girl in his arms succumbed to unconsciousness.

That was the first time he ever felt anger toward his little brother. Anger for the girl that wept in his arms. Anger for the boy who'd lost yet another important person in his life. Anger for the Hokage that was now officially, the last Sannin left.

And dare he say it…anger for himself.

Xoxoxo

A knock on her door at 3 in the morning wasn't a rare occurrence, but not a welcome one either. Usually it meant she was being summoned to the hospital, or for a mission, and right now she wanted nothing more than to stay inside and sleep a little longer.

So when she stuck her head out the door to yell at the "messenger" she was surprised to see a pink haired kunoichi lying on her porch unconscious.

"Sakura!"

The rain was still coming down hard, and Sakura was absolutely drenched. When Ino lifted her up she felt her skin, cold as ice. There was no doubt she had hypothermia, and she would need to start treatment immediately. Sakura was an intelligent medic, so letting herself get to this state was surprising. Something much have been terribly wrong.

Seeing as Naruto had been a zombie the whole day, it probably had something to do with that. But still, this was extreme.

"C'mon forehead…" Ino murmured, pulling her close. "You're in good hands."

As the door shut behind them Itachi moved away from the area, heading back toward the place he'd been staying with Kisame.

He knew it'd been the best idea to leave her with the blonde medic. Not only would her skills be of use, but she was also not as perceptive as her other teammates. She hadn't even bothered to wonder how Sakura had ended up at her doorway, while it had been obvious someone had deposited her there.

Leaving her with Hatake or Sai would have been dangerous, especially since both of them would have been on immediate guard. Staying clear of their eyes would have been more difficult. Naturally the Yamanaka girl was the nest choice. Sakura would be in good hands until her health returned to her.

He slipped out of the gates, taking only a single glance back.

He couldn't help but shake his head at the feeling he'd had earlier. Something had changed between them. He'd known as soon as she'd collapsed on him, and his initial reaction had been to want to take care of her himself. It had been involuntary, and after thinking it he'd immediately righting his thoughts and took her to the young medic.

He could only hope that for both of their sakes, nothing had changed for her. Even if it meant she hated him.

Hate he could handle very well.

Even if he didn't want to.

Xoxoxo

**I'd like to take this moment to thank my reviewers/readers for being patient with me. This story takes a lot of time to prepare, and I go through and edit each chapter at least three times before posting it. I've still got some things I think I could have altered, but they are left for the greater purpose. **

**Also a reminder that this story is (kinda but not fully) following the happenings of the anime/manga (as I'm sure you saw with Jiraiya's death and all) so keep that in mind. The timing may have been slightly off, but that's how it's going to go. Some things will be altered for my convenience. **

**Finally, I don't believe I am rushing, though I did put more ItaSaku interaction in this one. But if you think I apologize, but this is the direction it's heading. I saw this chapter as an opportunity, and I took it. The next one is still in progress, so based on your thoughts I'll edit as I see fit. **

**P.S. I do have a new fic up (for those of you who like NaruSaku. I'm not a huge fan but I thought it would be fun) so I'll be working on both now. This does not mean updates for this will be slower (in fact it seems to have motivated me to write more on this one). **

Review!


	8. A Better Me, A Better You

"_He's never coming back is he?"_

_Naruto slid his arm around her shoulder, pulling her against him. _

"_Why would you think that?" He asked, glancing to the side at her. Sakura leaned her head against his shoulder, looking out at the meadow around them. This was Shikamaru's favorite cloud watching spot, and the most beautiful area in the village. They rarely ever came here together, but today was special._

_Sakura didn't answer._

"_Do you remember our promise Sakura?"_

_She nodded, closing her eyes. "I remember."_

"_I won't go back on my word. I will bring him back, even if it kills me."_

_Her eyes opened, body tensing. "I don't want you to die. I don't want anyone to die."_

"_I know," he answered, sensing her unease. "I don't want anyone to die either, which is why I'm going to keep my promise and bring Sasuke back before people get hurt. With any luck we'll both come back in one piece."_

_His joke was met with angry eyes. "Don't even joke about this Naruto. It's not funny to think…to think…"_

_She moved out of his arms, standing up quickly. Naruto followed suit, reaching out to her. She smacked his hand away before freezing._

"_I'm sorry Naruto. I just, when I think about what could go wrong." She clutched at her sides, shaking. Naruto frowned, moving closer until he was able to pull her into an embrace. "Promise me you won't do it alone. Sasuke is not just your responsibility."_

_Naruto sighed, leaning his head on her shoulder. "If the choice comes to a great risk to myself alone, or a great risk to those around me, I'll always choose the first option. I won't let any of you get hurt."_

"_That isn't fair!"_

"_**No, no it isn't girl. Then again, the life of a shinobi is never fair."**_

_Sakura turned; finding the image of the meadow had faded into black. She panicked, looking back only to find Naruto now gone. Nothing was around her but black._

"_Naruto!" She yelled. _

"_**You've got guts kid, but that won't save your friend."**_

_Sakura growled, searching all around her for the only one she knew with that sadistic voice. _

"_What did you do with Naruto, Kisame?!" _

"_**That temper will get you nowhere but on the end of my Samahada, bleeding and gasping your last breath. Even then I doubt you would know how to be silent."**_

"_Shut up and tell me where you took him!" She clenched her fist, forcing chakra…wait! Why wasn't chakra flowing into her hand? She couldn't feel her chakra at all!_

"_**What's the matter? Is that all you've got? You plan to force Itachi's little brother home with that kind of display?"**_ _A dark laugh echoed._

"_How did you know about that?!" Sakura asked, turning frantically. Her words were ignored._

"_**It was a good try princess, but you just couldn't cut it. Itachi was wasting his time on a weakling like you." **__She could make him out now, his form in the distance. The Samahada was in his hand, pulsing. __**"Play time is over kunoichi. It's time for you to join the rest of the shinobi who couldn't cut it."**_

"_No!" She couldn't call her chakra. Even her body was betraying her, refusing to move. _

_Kisame came forward, lifting his giant sword over his head. __**"Goodbye, kid."**_

"Naruto!"

She screamed, shooting up out of her laying position, breathing labored. In the back of her mind she could hear voices, quiet, soothing voices that almost brought her back down from the hysteria.

Until she felt a hand on her arm.

"Whoa!"

Sakura thrashed against the person behind her, screaming loudly. Everything around her was disoriented, and bright, so bright she couldn't make out the shapes. The darkness had disappeared, but Kisame? He'd been coming for her. He was touching her!

"I won't let you! No!"

"Sakura stop. It's Naruto!" The arm on her own moved around her neck, restricting her further. She gripped at the arm, pulling to no avail.

When his words finally registered in her mind she stilled, moving her head to the side. Blonde hair was the first thing she saw, and then two worried blue eyes. Eyes she hadn't seen since he'd locked himself up in his apartment.

He was here for her. He was here.

"You're ok." She whispered. Naruto nodded, smiling lightly at her.

"Yeah, I'm ok. It's you we were worrying about."

"Me?" Why would they be worrying about her? Who was _they_?

She heard a door behind her shut, and footsteps coming toward them. She tensed automatically, but Naruto's hand smoothed over his shoulder, calming her down.

"Geez forehead, you sure know how to scream. If you hadn't been doing it all night I would have thought Naruto was trying to kill you or something."

Sakura smiled. "Ino. How is everything?"

The blonde sat on the other side of the bed from her and Naruto, pushing her bangs from her face. "Everything was fine until a certain pink haired friend of mine showed up unconscious at my door."

Sakura tried to remember exactly how she'd gotten to Ino's home, but she couldn't seem to recall anything. She'd been training in the rain, and someone else had been there too. They'd spoken to her but she couldn't remember what they said, or what she did. If she'd been unconscious then it was possible someone had carried her to the girl's house but it would have made more sense to take her to the hospital or to a closer apartment like Sai's.

Someone had purposely thought out taking her here. If it'd been her friends they would have explained the situation to Ino at the door, but they hadn't. No one had been there.

At least, they wanted Ino to think no one had been there.

The person with her on the training grounds had to of been Itachi. If so, there's no telling what she said to him. He must of thought her a complete fool for letting herself deteriorate. Perhaps he realized that he was wasting his time on her, like the Kisame in her head had mentioned.

"I'm sorry Ino. It was a long night." Sakura replied, bowing her head in shame.

"To be honest it was more like a long two nights, forehead." She felt Naruto let her go, sliding off the bed. She watched him brush off his cloths, and realized quickly that she recognized the shirt and pants he was wearing. He'd shed his ninja attire for them when he'd heard the news about Jiraiya, and had taken refuge in his house.

If he still had those cloths on, then that meant he'd been by her side the whole time.

"Naruto…"

He smiled, shaking his head. "I'm glad you're alright Sakura. You really had me worried, like you were never going to wake up." He chuckled, looking away toward the door. "I um, I don't know why you were out in the rain, but I know I was kind of rude to you a few days ago and I'm sorry."

He thought her insane stunt was his fault. Oh Naruto…

"No it's ok." Sakura forced her body to stay upright as she spoke, finding that it wasn't as easy as it should have been. "You have been through a lot."

"I let that cloud my vision, and if not for you I may not have come out of whatever I was in. Knowing you were ill brought me back to what's really important. The here and now, the people I still have." He smiled, looking toward the picture of Team 10. Sakura saw the faraway look in his eyes, and knew what he was thinking about instantly. "You made me strong again Sakura, just as you always have."

'_No,'_ Sakura thought, smiling to herself, _'it's always been you who makes me stronger.'_

As if sensing the moment going on between the two Ino stood, making her way over to the door. "I'll be outside if you need me. Don't strain yourself forehead."

Sakura nodded, watching the girl leave. After the door shut she turned her attention back to Naruto, watching him finally decide to say whatever it was he'd been struggling with.

"Thanks to you, I think I've decided to go with the old frog, and train the way Pervy sage did when he was younger. With any luck I'll come back twice as strong."

Sakura frowned. "How long will you be gone?"

"It won't be too long." He smiled, coming back to sit on the bed again. "I'm not leaving for three years again Sakura. You won't have to worry about that. I'm just doing this so I can be the best me I can be."

"The best me?" Sakura looked out the window again, toward the direction of the training grounds. She'd thought a lot about getting stronger, but it had never really been for herself. Her strength was always due to the protection of others. Only once had it truly been about herself, and that was with her training with Tsunade. She'd wanted to stop being the weak little girl everyone protected, and she had achieved her goal.

Now though, it was like she was back to square one, with a child's mindset and no clear direction.

Naruto had decided to train further, and get stronger for himself. As a result he would likely be powerful enough to protect everyone, even if that wasn't his main goal at the moment.

Maybe it was time to put Sasuke out of her mind, just this once, and do something for her benefit. Something she truly wanted to do, to become stronger, the best possible her she could become. To do so she would have to clear her mind from everything else, and devote everything to learning. There would be no more sneaking around and short training sessions.

No, this time she would get serious.

This time, she would see only two entities, two ninja. No longer an S Class Missing Ninja and a Chuunin Medical Ninja. In order to truly focus and become stronger she would have to let go of the past, and focus solely on the future. She would have to forgive, and see Itachi not as a criminal, but as her mentor.

"I'm betting on you." Sakura replied, laying a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

He layed his hand atop hers, grinning.

_She would have to overcome hatred. _

Xoxoxo

"It's strange to see you so tense, Itachi. This doesn't have anything to do with what Leader said, does it?"

Kisame watched his partner stare off into the lake, and his face betrayed no emotion. If Kisame hadn't known him as long as he had, he wouldn't have caught the subtle hints of frustration. It wasn't like the boy to get angry about anything, but Kisame suspected it had more to do with the pink haired brat then anything.

It was extremely difficult to spy on Itachi, and he really had no reason to do so before, but his secrecy was bothersome. He hadn't told Leader a thing about the occurrences on the mountain, but that didn't mean he would obey Itachi's every whim.

The kunoichi was indeed acting as his healer, but Itachi had failed to mention certain other aspects of their arrangement. Training her was something out of the question. They aimed to kill her best friend, and giving her the means to defend herself and her comrades was the exact opposite of what they desired. No matter the reason unless it was sanctioned by Leader they were not to aid the enemy.

Itachi had left this information out on purpose, and he didn't know what to think of it. The boy killed his entire clan, joined a criminal organization, and killed innocents, so betrayal was never something Kisame thought possible from him.

For whatever reason each Akatsuki member had always been fiercely loyal to the organization, so the idea of betrayal was absolutely ludicrous. Even Deidara had died a loyal Akatsuki member, and he had been completely against joining.

So where did that leave the two of them?

He knew it was time to relay this information to Leader, and let him deal with it. He'd certainly never had any problems betraying team members before…

…so why was it so difficult now?

"The six tails was sealed, and then the eight tails was to be the main objective. I wonder what has made Leader so eager to capture Uzumaki Naruto, that he would take it upon himself to do so."

So he was worried about that.

"I believe the eight tails capture had been assigned to the two of us as a replacement. The nine tails proves to be difficult, even without his beloved Jiraiya to protect him." Itachi frowned, and Kisame chuckled. "Regardless of the reason, it is no longer our problem. We'll be going after the eight tails tomorrow."

Itachi stood, lifting his gaze from the water. "Very well."

Perhaps, it would be best to wait until the nine tails was captured before explaining the situation to Leader. After all, even a stronger pink haired brat and the nine tails Jinchuuriki would stand no chance against the Akatsuki's leader. There was no need to rush things. All they had to do now was focus on the eight tailed Jinchuuriki.

"You going to see the girl?" Kisame watched Itachi walk past him, toward the Leaf village. Itachi didn't answer, making Kisame frown. He couldn't be going to relay this information to the kunoichi. The information was classified, if leaked it would give Konoha ample time to form a counter attack.

"She will not be told the reason for our departure." Itachi turned, Sharingon meeting Kisame's eyes. "Or would you like to follow me with a water clone to see what I tell her?"

He'd known!

"That…won't be necessary." Kisame murmured, holding his ground. "You can invite her along for all I care."

Itachi nodded, continuing forward. "I'll consider it."

He'd known that was a joke, _right_?

Kisame groaned, feeling a headache coming on. Having the girl come along with them would be an absolute horror. He had gotten so used to the silence of Itachi over the years that casual conversation was a rarity. He wasn't quiet by any means, but he was nowhere near the level of that girl. Not to mention having the enemy with them in any situation was never good. If she even attempted to deter anything, he wouldn't hesitate to put her in her place. The kunoichi had a fiery temper, but he had one to match.

Luckily he knew Itachi wouldn't be foolish enough to take him seriously. He knew the risk just as well as anyone else. Besides the girl would most definitely refuse any offer. Training with a criminal was probably hard enough for her to live with, but traveling with two would be unthinkable. Her moral compass was not so far off for that venture.

Why Itachi even bothered with her was a mystery.

Kisame stepped forward, staring at his reflection in the water.

Itachi was an intriguing puzzle, one that he doubted any ninja could solve. His motives were most always unclear, but no matter the situation he always came out on top. Yet he never boasted his power, never forced it on anyone, and even went as far as to stop him from physically attacking others. He was a true enigma.

Perhaps _that_ was why it was so difficult to act against him.

Xoxoxoxo

"I hate cold weather. Tell me why we have to be out here again?"

"Shut up Suigetsu." Karin hissed, stomping her foot into the snow. Her form was shaking, much like the boys in front of her, but she was too proud to admit it. In truth, this weather wasn't favorable for her either.

When Sasuke had announced they would be traveling into the mountains she had forgotten how cold it could get. None of them had packed winter wear, so at least she could take comfort in the fact that Suigetsu was at least suffering as much as she was.

"Remember, we're here because of the rumors of two Akatsuki members coming around here not too long ago." Jugo replied, seemingly unaffected by the weather around them. "There is a good chance Itachi was one of them."

"Then Kisame would be with him." Suigetsu smirked, fangs glinting. "I can't wait to get my hands on his Samahada. "

Karin glared, rubbing her arms. "You wouldn't stand a chance Suigetsu."

"Can it four eyes. No one asked you."

Karin was about to reply when she felt a familiar chakra coming their way. She smiled, turning to meet the object of her desire as he landed next to the three of them.

"Sasuke! You're back."

Sasuke walked past her, looking nothing less than frustrated. Suigetsu chuckled, following after him as he walked.

"No luck?"

"Suigetsu shut up." Karin growled. A rock hit the back of the swordsman's head, turning his attention to the red head behind him. His hand went for his blade but was halted by Sasuke's hand.

"Enough." The Uchiha demanded, Sharingan blazing for emphasis.

Suigetsu pulled out of his grip, huffing. "I've been stuck with four eyes for two hours freezing to death. At least tell me you found something in this wasteland."

Sasuke didn't answer. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how to.

He _had_ found something in the mountains. A cave, large enough for someone to settle into for a night. The remains of what had been a fire remained in the middle of it, not new enough to be from a mere few days ago. He had no way of knowing if it had been the Akatsuki or just some ninja passing through though.

Until he came to the back of the cave, and saw the hole.

Parts of it looked to be torn off by hand, a task that surely would have hurt, but others looked burned away. It had been intriguing, seeing as a normal fire against mountain rock surely would not have been able to create this damage. It did occur to Sasuke that a paper bomb had been ignited, but it would have left a larger hole. That one seemed pitiful, just enough for someone to squeeze through and no more.

He'd decided the best way to answer that would be to take a look inside the mountain himself.

Thankfully he'd had the presence of mind to bring a torch. The inside of the mountain had been dark, and the only way around was a narrow path leading upward. The person or people inside must have climbed down until they had gotten to the place where the hole had been made. In some places he'd been able to spot footprints, two sets. Two allies traveling through the mountain.

At least, that is what he'd originally assumed.

Once he'd made it to the top, that hadn't been the case any longer.

The first thing out of place he'd noticed was the kunai wedged into the rock about twenty or so feet from his position below. The "allies" notion vanished after that discovery.

The second thing was bits and pieces of cloth, one he recognized very well. The red clouds were a dead giveaway. With that piece of knowledge he concluded that it very well could have been Itachi down here. Why, he didn't know, but that didn't matter so much.

The companion couldn't have been Kisame. The footprints weren't large enough, but the pieces of cloth didn't seem familiar at all. They had appeared to be a standard cloak material, meaning he wouldn't be able to figure out who was down there too unless he found a body or another clue.

It was on his way out, back through the hole, when he discovered the answer to the question.

How it had managed to cling to the mountain rock against the wind was a mystery, but it was unmistakable. After all, he couldn't think of another ninja that matched the strands of pink hair he'd found.

Sakura had been in the cave with an Akatsuki member.

But…why?

"Do you think the Akatsuki are still nearby?" Jugo questioned.

"No." But what went on here? If Itachi was the one in the mountain with Sakura, he needed to know what happened. Both had to be alive still, right?

His main priority was Itachi. It was more than likely he was lingering around Konoha, waiting to capture the nine tails.

Naruto.

Sasuke was sure to run into him or Sakura for that matter, if he traveled anywhere close to the Leaf Village. Still, that wasn't a risk he was willing to take yet. There had to be an alternative, something other than the Jinchuuriki to draw him out…

Jinchuuriki…!

"Nine of them." Sasuke murmured, turning to face the mountain. "Who of the Akatsuki is alive to capture the remaining few?"

Sasuke had rarely shown interest in any of the Akatsuki members aside from his elder brother and partner, but that didn't mean he was clueless to the rest of them. Orochimaru had known of a few, and Kabuto filled in a lot of gaps. By that knowledge, it was easy to assume only a small portion remained. The most eligible team to capture a Jinchuuriki right now would be Itachi and Kisame. While he knew Itachi meant to go after Naruto, there was still Kisame.

The two worked as a team, so if he closed in on another Jinchuuriki, he would also close in on his elder brother.

"What are you talking about Sasuke?" Karin asked. He glanced toward her, for once seeming to care about her presence.

"Where does the remaining Jinchuuriki reside, Karin?"

The girl seemed surprised by his question. He hardly asked her for information not pertaining to her sensory abilities, and certainly not about Jinchuuriki.

"I'm not sure where most of them are, or if they are all alive. I know Konoha keeps one, and Kumogakure also has a Jinchuuriki. If I remember correctly the Raikage's own brother is-"

"Kumogakure." Sasuke cut her off, shaking his head. He remembered now, Orochimaru had spoken of the Raikage before, and the man's penchant for displaying his strength. If he did in fact have a Jinchuuriki brother, he doubted it would be easy to capture him.

This might be his chance though.

"_You're weak…"_

Sasuke growled, clenching his fist. He was not weak, and certainly not scared! If the Akatsuki could capture Jinchuuriki then he could to. He would win against the Jinchuuriki, and use him to get to Itachi.

Then he would get his revenge.

"We're going to Kumogakure."

Xoxoxoxo

The Uchiha compound was desolate, empty, as it had been for many years. No one dared approach the area, most even going as far as to believe it was haunted. Sasuke had only inhabited a small section whilst he remained in Konoha, leaving the others homes untouched. They remained the way they'd been before the massacre, a lonely existence.

She'd only been in the compound a couple of times, and both were brief instances. She had been fearful of it as a child, to the point where she had avoided any route that would bring her close. It wasn't until she met Sasuke that she dared to get a little closer to the compound, but even then she still had lingering worries.

Coming now by choice was different, and no less terrifying. Even with no one living there now it still felt like she was intruding.

In a way, she was. She didn't belong in this place, and she never would. The memories here, the people who lived here, she had never been a part of that. Sasuke had known, and that's why he'd claimed the area to himself, not allowing reconstruction or other inhabitants. Out of respect for the Uchiha, the Hokage had declared the Uchiha compound to be under the control of Sasuke.

Of course, that meant that every building aside from his own house would stay uninhabited, and eventually rot away. A fitting end, but not the one Sakura would have chosen.

She shivered involuntarily, standing outside the only house that didn't look completely ruined in the compound. Sasuke's old house, uninhabited for a good three and a half years. She imagined it would have been really beautiful a long time ago. A place of happiness, and love.

Now it only made her want to cry.

She had to do this though. If she was going to continue her training with Itachi, then she had to get past this. She had to see where it happened, and then push past it.

No matter how much she didn't want to.

Ino had wanted her to stay in her house a little longer, and she'd been tempted to do just that. Naruto was working hard though, and she felt much better than before. There was no excuse for putting this off, and no time to do so either. If she was going to get stronger, then it would have to start now.

It would have to start here.

"I'm ready." She whispered, stepping onto the porch.

The wood gave a loud creak, making her worry it would fall apart under her. It held steady though, and she felt brave enough to take another step. When she reached the door she hesitated, wondering what she would find inside. Would everything be in order, like a normal home left unattended for a while…

…or in ruins, left from long ago?

Sakura took a deep breath, and slid the door open.

Thankfully the first room looked as normal as any home, just with a little more dust. It was a rather lovely room, with everything matching and perfect. Whether from Sasuke's touch or his mothers, the taste in decoration was perfect.

Except for the one out of place mat in the center of the room. It was large and black, matching nothing in the room. If she had to guess, she would have said Sasuke had gotten it and placed it there. Whatever significance it held she would never know, but she was certainly curious.

Sakura moved on to the narrow hall, stopping in front of the only door that was open. Without even entering she knew it was Sasuke's old room. There was a turned down photo frame on a desk, one shaped like the one she had. She knew if she turned it over she would see Team Seven.

It hurt to see it, so badly that she couldn't stop herself from entering the room and righting the picture.

"That's better." She murmured, smiling softly.

She entered the hallway again, coming toward the end until she reached two doors on either side of her. Both of them were closed, but it was easy to identify which one led into Itachi's room.

A long slash against the wood was a clear giveaway.

This time she forced herself not to hesitate, and slid the door open.

The room was…unexpectedly clean. From the slash on the door she'd expected it would be trashed, a full portrayal of Sasuke's rage, but it wasn't. Everything looked untouched, like the way it was years ago. If not for the dust and aging signs she would have suspected someone was still living here.

Sakura moved over to the bed, lightly touching the sheets. They were plain, like most everything else in the room. It didn't have much to offer for individuality, but it made up for it in organization. Nothing seemed to be out of place, even the Academy Certificate on the wall was perfectly leveled.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she'd expected his room to different. She wasn't looking for something to lesson her opinion of Itachi any further, but in the back of her mind she knew she'd wanted a reason. This room offered no reason to hate him, no sign of a psychotic murderer.

If she didn't know any better, she'd venture to say he hadn't been much different than her as a teenager.

Sakura moved away from the bed, walking quickly back to the door. It was just too much to think about, too painful to accept. That there had once been a regular shinobi in this room, with a family and a future. Was it really so easy to turn away from everything, to kill your family and friends like they meant nothing to you?

_Why_ had Itachi killed his entire clan?

Sakura felt her stomach roll violently, and immediately wanted to get out of the house and into the fresh air. She needed to get away from here, before…before…

She ran, down the narrow hall past Sasuke's room, not looking back even once. It wasn't until her foot caught that she came to a halt, slamming roughly into the ground.

The mat, the stupid out of place mat had tripped her!

"Oh my…"

Sakura froze, looking at the spot under her leg where the mat had risen up. The wood was stained, a color Sakura knew to once be bright red, now dulled over the years. A stain Sasuke had wanted to hide, to forget, so badly that he'd covered it up with an obnoxious mat. He'd been living in this house, with his family's blood still coating the living room floor, all alone.

"I can't do this." Sakura heaved, breathing roughly. The urge to throw up was closing in on her, but she forced it back. She wouldn't desecrate this house any further. Now more than ever she had to get out.

It took a great deal of effort but she finally got back onto her feet, rushing to the open door until she jumped outside, and landed on the ground past the porch. Fresh air greeted her, relieving some of the initial stress of the situation.

"Did you find what you were searching for, Haruno?"

Sakura didn't have to turn around the know who was behind her. She'd been caught red handed, but she wasn't sure if guilt was what she should be feeling. In fact, she didn't know what to feel toward him. Nothing about the man behind her made sense, and she wasn't sure if finding out was the best idea.

She settled for shaking her head back and forth, while trying silently to pull herself together.

She heard footsteps move behind her, until Itachi came to stand in front of her, back towards her. He was facing his old home, and from what she could see, there was no clear emotion on his face. It was like he was looking at any other random house. Even with the door still open, and the mat revealing the place in the center of the room.

Sakura drew in a shaky breath. "I thought I could put everything behind me, and trust you completely. I'm just…not strong enough."

Itachi glanced back, red eyes gleaming. "I have not asked you to forget the past, nor do I want you to. If you remember who I am, then that will help you to remember who you are. Your trust in me isn't necessary, it is trust in yourself that is."

Sakura nodded, looking at the ground. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"This compound receives no visitors. I grew curious as to who would invite themselves in."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on your home."

Itachi sighed, turning his back on the house behind him. "This place had not been my home for many years Haruno. Do not apologize."

Sakura moved closer, reaching out toward him. Her hand paused midair, frozen.

"Do you…Are you…" _Are you ok?_

It sounded strange in her head. Asking the criminal who murdered his clan if he was ok while being in the place he committed the act. Obviously if he was the one to kill his family, he would have no issues with missing them.

Would he?

"I would like to speak with you about your training arrangements."

If she noticed the sudden subject change she didn't point it out. After all, she'd wanted to discuss the very same thing with him. At the very least it would get them both out of this uncomfortable situation.

"I wanted to talk to you about the same thing. I was going to search for you tonight, and tell you that I wanted to commit to full time training."

Itachi didn't seem surprised like she'd thought he'd be. Instead he seemed like he'd already known, and was on board with it. Had he been thinking about the same thing? Surely longer training sessions would be a problem for him? She'd already considered all the complications of training during the day without being caught by anyone. Was he really willing to go to all that trouble?

"That is acceptable. However, I have my own conditions for this arrangement."

Sakura nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

"We will move your training out of Konoha."

He meant to relocate? Outside of the borders of Konoha? Getting permission to train like this from the Hokage had been hard enough on her, but to go a step further and get permission to go out of the village was just ludicrous. Sure Naruto was doing it, but that was an entirely different situation. Even if Tsunade would allow her to leave, it was highly likely she wouldn't want her to go alone. At the very least the timeframe would be short, too short to really get anything done.

"Where exactly are you talking about?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms.

Itachi noticed her change in mood immediately, but chose to ignore it. The girl had a tendency to let her emotions take hold quickly, and he preferred not to be on the end of one of her mood swings. Approaching the subject with caution was the best route to take if he wanted the right results.

"My partner and I are heading to Kumogakure as soon as possible. There is business to be taken care of there."

'_Akatsuki business_, Sakura surmised. She would get no further information no matter how hard she pushed.

"Kisame actually agreed to let me tag along? I thought he'd sooner slaughter me."

Sakura watched the smallest hint of a smile grace Itachi's face.

"On the contrary. It was his suggestion that you come along."

Now that was something Sakura would never believe.

She sighed in resignation, pushing her hair out of her face. "I guess if you're willing to go this far, then I am too. I'll speak with the Hokage today and be ready to leave by nightfall."

Itachi nodded, turning his attention back to his house. "I will see you then, kunoichi."

Sakura stayed rooted to her spot, unable to believe the look she was seeing on Itachi's face. It was like…like he wanted to…

"Do you want to go inside?" She asked, edging forward.

Itachi's shoulders tensed, but the look in his eyes never disappeared. "As I said before, this place is no longer my home. I have no desire to revisit the memories made here."

Sakura idly wondered if he meant the memories of his family or of the massacre.

Perhaps it was both.

Xoxoxoxo

**Ok I did a lot of editing with this chapter but if I didn't get it out today I never would (Which means you may notice some areas that feel a bit rushed. I apologize if it's not up to par, but I did make sure nothing was absolutely terrible). As always I would ask that you overlook grammar and spelling issues (I try as hard as I can).**

**Thank you for your patience and support. I love reading the reviews I've gotten! Very encouraging! Some of your thoughts brought my own into perspective, and helped me decide where I'm taking the next few chapters. Please continue with the support. **

**I'm going to try and not take as long posting, but I have several things going on right now so no promises. Since NR has shorter chapters it'll be easier to update that one regularly, but this one requires more time and thought. **

**On that note I'd like to remind reviewers I'm happy to hear your suggestions/comments/praises etc…so keep them coming! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to where things are going!**


	9. Forget the Regrets

"Where are you going?"

Sakura cursed herself for not locking her door. It wasn't abnormal for shinobi of her status to leave their doors unlocked (after all who would dare mess with them?), but Sakura was one who opened her doors to anyone who asked entrance. No one else but Naruto had ever barged in uninvited, and since he was off training elsewhere the fact that someone else had come in without announcement was an unwelcome surprise.

The fact that it was Sai was even more unexpected.

She resumed her packing, intricately placing her kunai's into the holster on the side of her bag.

"Why are you here Sai? You don't usually come in uninvited."

"You don't usually forge the Hokage's signature on request documents."

Sakura's hands stilled above her bag.

Sai stepped forward, knowing he had her cornered. He hated doubting his friends, but Sakura had been acting strangely ever since they'd found her in the forest. He'd been so busy he hadn't been able to follow up much, but he'd been able to see her only a few nights previous. She'd been running in the early hours of the morning, like she'd just got done with an intense exercise.

Normally that wouldn't be an issue, but the direction she'd come from was a forbidden place. If that had truly been where she was, there had to be good reason.

He'd heard she'd gotten permission from the Hokage to be off duty to commit to training, but he doubted the Hokage would allow her to do so in the Forest of Death. While Sakura could handle the danger, the location was simply not accessible under normal circumstances. An irregularity like that got him thinking.

Again he'd been deterred from finding out further because of a mission. He'd just returned not too long ago, heading straight for the Hokage's office to give his report when he'd seen her again. He'd chosen to hide his chakra signature, and follow her at a distance.

When she'd found the room empty he'd expected her to either get what she came for or leave and come back later, but that hadn't been the case. It had seemed like she would wait, but he saw her impatience turn into something else he didn't quite recognize. That's when she seemed to make up her mind.

He knew the request files location, so when Sakura went and pulled a paper from the folder and layed it on the desk he'd very nearly given himself away. She hadn't even hesitated to grab the nearest pin and mimic the Hokage's signature underneath something else she'd written.

Whatever she'd given herself permission to do, required leaving the village.

"Have you been following me?"

Her tone sounded anxious…_'no_, _worried_,' Sai corrected. On the field this phrase came more often worded as, "How long have you been following me?"

The message was easy to catch under her words, but he didn't know what to make of it. Had she really been doing something else he hadn't been able to catch? Should he play along to get more information from her, or tell the truth?

"Yes." Sai answered plainly, narrowing his eyes for effect.

Sakura glared right back at him, crossing her arms.

"I'm temporarily leaving the village to continue my training."

"Why didn't you tell the Hokage, and have her sign the document?" Sai questioned. Sakura noticed the way his hand twitched at his thigh, as if waiting to grab a weapon. Did he really think she would attack him?

If he was encouraging that thought, then he didn't truly know the entire situation. That hesitancy was her advantage.

"She has a lot on her mind right now." Sakura replied, unfolding her arms. "I don't want to overwhelm her by asking to leave the village for further training. It's a simply request that I thought would be no danger to fulfill for myself. I'll be back before she even notices that I'm gone."

It wasn't a total lie. Sakura did intend to inform Itachi of her tight schedule. Tsunade had agreed to let her train on the condition that at the end of two weeks she'd demonstrate her skills. That meant she had six days left until the end of the two weeks.

She hadn't been lying when she'd said Tsunade had a lot on her mind though. With that working to her advantage she could probably make it a few extra days before she had to come back and see her master. That increased her days from six to a more hopeful ten.

It wasn't very long considering how much she wished to get done, nor the possible duration of time Itachi's mission would take, but that was what she had.

Sai nodded, but his gaze held further disbelief.

"What if she found out about your absence?" At her look her followed with, "Your friends are sure to notice you are not here. They will wonder where you are, and it will cause quite a stir. _Especially_ if no one can give a clue as to your location."

Sakura frowned, analyzing his words carefully. He'd started out hinting that he would inform the Hokage of her actions, but had redirected the blame to her other friends. She'd already sorted out that problem by telling Ino she would be unavailable for a short while as she continued her training, and to spread the word to anyone who asked. The only ones who would ever really look for her would be Ino, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai. Naruto was off training, and Kakashi would go to Ino for any information if he couldn't find her himself, so they were taken care of.

Sai just had to ruin everything.

His last statement was the real issue though. It wasn't a threat, but more his way of asking exactly where she was going.

It was a condition.

She very nearly smiled, crediting Sai for his brilliance. He left her with no other option but to stay and give up on her idea, or to at least tell him where she was going.

"I'm heading in the direction of Kumogakure, though I doubt I'll be entering the village itself. I don't intend to do anything that could cause trouble for the Leaf. I'll be gone for a week and a half at most."

Sai layed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her seriously.

"Is there something else you are not telling me?"

Sakura bit her lip, focusing on keeping eye contact with the man in front of her. She wanted to tell him everything, to let someone else know what she was doing! Someone to tell her she was crazy, or to give her support.

Instead she shook her head, forcing a smile as fake as Sai's.

"No Sai. You'll just have to trust me on this."

The look of pure trust on his face was almost enough to make her change her mind.

Xoxoxo

The night guards were terribly bad at their job.

Sakura had spent so many hours researching border patrol and guard duties of the village that she knew every aspect of the guard responsibilities. Timing was the key to all guard patrol, and obviously these guards were grossly out of sync.

There was a gap in time between the guard's rounds that amounted to a fill five seconds. With a normal civilian speed it wouldn't be a problem, but any ninja could sneak in or out of the village within that five seconds a couple times with time to spare!

She'd have to talk to Tsunade about this when she returned.

At the next five second interval she rushed past the gates, slipping into the cover of the trees before her time was up. No alarms were given, perfect.

The wind was blowing with her as she moved, pushing her onward. With that element on her side she made quick time of the forest travel, until coming to reach the designated meeting spot.

She'd chosen this spot specifically because it was easy for her to recognize. Naruto had used the large tree standing on the side of the pathway to place a mark for each completed mission. It became a sort of ritual after a while for everyone in Team Seven (including Sai and Yamato) to place a mark somewhere on the tree.

If she came back stronger after this, she would etch a mark in right above her last one.

"You are early."

She pulled her hand away from the tree like it burned, turning to face Itachi. He was wearing his cloak this time. It made her feel oddly wary, after seeing him so long without it.

"I gave myself extra time in case any complications came up."

Itachi nodded, wasting no time in heading back the direction he came from. Sakura rushed after him, adjusting the pack on her shoulders. Thankfully she'd packed lighter than usual, though she never packed too much anyways. Most of what she carried was for medical purposes, and the rest was either weapons or clothing.

Itachi didn't seem to be carrying anything. In fact, every time she'd seen an Akatsuki member they seemed to carry nothing with them but weapons. Did they keep all their belongings at a base, or did they even have real belongings?

Perhaps they just bought necessities as they traveled, living on the road.

Sakura remembered the way Itachi had been looking at his old house before. To go from something like that…a family…to living life on the road with a crazy swordsman for a partner, that was a dramatic change. A change she doubted she'd be able to handle.

She liked having a place to belong, and friends to stick by her. Even while she was on missions, she found herself thinking about home and counting the days until she could return. Her mom would give her a hug, and her dad would pat her on the head. Ino would pull her into the flower shop and talk to her about gossip, and Naruto would come drag her out to go eat ramen. Shikamaru, Neji, Hinata, Lee, all of her friends were important to her.

Without them, without her home, she'd have no purpose.

The more time she spent with Itachi, or even just thinking about him, the more she realized how sad his life actually was. Even if he made that life for himself, there wasn't any way someone could live the way he has and be happy. She wasn't entirely sure if he regretted any of his actions, but he had to be hurting in an entirely different way.

For now this was her purpose, outside of Konoha and her friends. Figuring out who she was, and figuring out just who Itachi Uchiha was as well.

"It's been a while pinky. I only wish it could have been longer."

Sakura peeked around Itachi's back as he came to a halt in front of her, glaring at Kisame. He too was in full Akatsuki garb, with his beloved sword strapped to his back as usual. That same twisted grin was glued to his face, but she could tell easily that he was just as annoyed as she was right now. It was all in his eyes.

"I'm happy to see you alive and well too, fish face."

His grin disappeared, replaced by an angry scowl. Itachi walked past the both of them, continuing onward as if there wasn't a scuffle going in behind him.

Kisame seemed to understand his partner's message before Sakura, turning to follow behind her. That left her to lag in the back, glaring daggers into the blue man's cloak.

It took him ten minutes to notice she was intensely glaring at his back before he remarked on it.

"Kunoichi, I didn't know you were so enamored with me."

Sakura miffed, pushing her legs faster to come up at his side. His grin had returned to his face, and she yearned to smack it off.

"Don't be so full of yourself. I was only thinking of the best way to kill you in your sleep."

"You don't have the guts for it." Kisame replied, snorting at her.

Sakura contemplated punching him, but Itachi had turned his head to stare at them in the middle of the argument. He was clearly saying that fighting was off limits. She wasn't sure if going against him would mean anything, but there was also the issue of dealing with the effects if she did punch Kisame. There were just too many variables to consider.

So she settled for a childish "sticking out of the tongue" and moved ahead of Kisame to catch up to Itachi. He gave her one look and then continued forward as if to ignore her. At this point normal conversation would do no good so she'd either have to settle for silence or intelligence.

Intelligence it is.

"What is in Kumogakure that is so important to the Akatsuki?"

"None of your business little girl." Kisame replied from behind her.

Sakura growled, turning her head just enough so he could see her glare. He matched hers with the same intensity, looking like he would love nothing more than to fight with her.

"It is nothing to concern yourself over, Haruno." Itachi finally spoke. She met his gaze, finding that his eyes were softer than his tone. She felt herself relax, temper cooling. The involuntary reaction was a sign of trust, one she felt both worried, and relieved about showing.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence. Even when they took to jumping through the trees, no one spoke. It was extremely uncomfortable, but it seemed like both Itachi and Kisame were used to traveling like this. In fact, they both seemed rather comfortable in the silence.

She'd never thought about it much before, but maybe the one that was out of the ordinary was her. She'd had the opportunity to work with several different shinobi teams, and while each had their similarities, there was most always one big difference.

Traveling expectations.

Being a part of Team Seven pretty much meant spending all of your traveling time talking about something or another. Naruto held up the conversation pretty well, but she gave him a run for his money. Eventually even Sai had gotten used to the idle chit chat, and had learned to join in.

When she was a part of other teams however, this was an entirely different story.

When she'd joined up with Hinata's team, conversation was nonexistent. It was almost like there was tension within the team, which absolutely wasn't healthy. Needless to say, she didn't enjoy the time spent on the road with them. As individuals they were all great to work with, but as a team they really needed to talk more.

Shikamaru's team had been slightly better, but it had only been Ino talking to her. When she confronted her about it, Ino had said they prefer traveling in silence to stay focused, and because Shikamaru thinks talking is troublesome.

The closest she'd found to her team had been Gai's, and only because of Lee and Gai's youthful expressions. She didn't really count that as normal though, because it was more insanity then anything. Poor Neji and Ten Ten….

Itachi and Kisame had probably grown accustomed to traveling in silence, because Itachi didn't speak much. It was odd because Kisame seemed like the type of guy who liked to talk and hold conversation, but refrained from doing so for whatever reason. Itachi couldn't be that bothered by conversation, right?

"Are we going to stop soon?" Sakura asked, looking forward toward Itachi. Somewhere during her thoughts he'd gotten ahead of her, and she was now on par with Kisame.

"Tired already kid?" Kisame sneered; pushing off a tree like it was effortless.

To be truthful she was quite tired, but she would never tell Kisame that.

"Shut up Hoshigaki." Sakura narrowed her eyes, continuing to look ahead as if to ignore him. "I'm only asking because I'd like to be able to examine Itachi's eyes as soon as possible. I haven't been able to perform his check up the last few days either, so I would like to be able to do that as well."

Kisame's demeanor changed almost immediately. His eyes moved to Itachi's form, scanning for any abnormalities in behavior to indicate he was having trouble. He knew what to look for from past occurrences, especially when it came to exhaustion from his kekkei genkai. None of the usual signs were present, but that didn't mean Itachi didn't need to take a break.

"Itachi?"

Itachi stopped on the nearest branch, surveying the ground under them with his Sharingan. They were far enough away from the Leaf Village to settle for the night. The border wasn't much farther from where they were, and from there they would have to be on high alert. Settling for the night here would be a good choice.

He hadn't exerted himself this much since Sakura had first healed him. While it was invigorating to feel his body finally be able to move as a normal shinobi's, he had seemed to push his progression a bit too quickly with the speed and distance they'd traveled. Over estimation would get one killed if they weren't careful, and he had no intentions of dying anytime soon.

"Very well." Itachi replied, jumping down to the ground. "We'll rest here for the night."

Sakura sighed in relief, jumping down after the Uchiha. Kisame followed suit, heading toward the nearest tree to pluck stray branches off. The way he was choosing made it evident that they were to be used for a fire. Itachi watched him for a moment before walking out toward the further trees, moving in a circle around the campsite. His eyes were fixed on the land, Sharingan burning bright.

If she hadn't seen both Kakashi and Sasuke do this, then she would have known he was placing a genjutsu over their campsite. It wasn't often that Kakashi had opted to use genjutsu, but he had done so in more dangerous areas.

If you were an Akatsuki member, everywhere was dangerous.

Feeling a little out of place, Sakura settled herself near the center and started unloading her pack. The medical supplies came first, followed by her small bag of healthy snacks, and a bottle of water. The blanket at the bottom was extremely thin (for carrying purposes) and doubled as a cloak, but she wouldn't need that unless it got colder later into the night.

She layed the medical supplies out neatly, separating what she would need for Itachi from the rest of her things. As she focused on her work she was remotely aware of Kisame shoving sticks together in front of her.

Itachi came to kneel beside her moments after she'd finished her organization, and Kisame looked at him expectantly. She watched as he raised two fingers to his lips and blew a small flame onto the wood, starting a fire for them.

"I'll leave things to you girl. I'm going to get some shut eye." Kisame exclaimed.

Sakura smirked, flashing one of her scalpels toward him. "Aren't you afraid I'll cut you apart in your sleep?"

Kisame shrugged, heading toward the other side of the campsite. "Like I said before kid, you don't have the guts."

Sakura rolled her eyes, laying the scalpel down. He was right, she didn't have the guts.

That didn't mean she wouldn't be as loud as possible while she worked on Itachi though.

Sakura pulled on her thin gloves as she turned toward Itachi and motioned for him to be seated. When he settled she leaned forward enough to see his eyes clearly and raised her hand to his left eye.

"Have you been using the Sharingan a lot since we've started these healings?"

"No."

Sakura nodded, probing his vessels. Her chakra seemed to melt into his eye, pushing clear through to his retina. Luckily the damage hadn't gotten worse since the few days she'd missed. That meant that as long as he continued to take care of his eyes, they wouldn't get worse. It wasn't irreparable.

"Can you switch the Sharingan off for me? Good, now look up." Sakura moved forward until she felt her nose touch Itachi's cheek. There didn't appear to be any lingering damage from the mangekyo on the outside, but there was still more internal damage. That wouldn't take much longer to heal with the rate of his progression.

Sakura removed her chakra and leaned back, taking off her gloves.

"How far can you see with your current vision?" She asked, laying her gloves aside.

"I can distinguish people from objects from long distances, but I am unable to see their features. The Sharingan helps brighten what I am looking at, but it has dulled significantly over the years. Eventually I will lose full visibility."

"Perhaps not." Sakura protested.

"I have only known one cure for this degeneration, and I am opposed to it at this time."

Sakura frowned, laying her hands on her knees. "Why? I'm not saying I won't be able to do anything for you, but a sure cure would be the best thing wouldn't it?"

Itachi closed his eyes. "There are many secrets to the Sharingan Haruno. They were not found without sacrifice."

He wasn't going to tell her anything in other words.

"Ok, I'll take your word for it." Sakura murmured. "I'll need you to remove your cloak now. I'm going to check your lungs and make sure the antibodies are still active and working."

Itachi did as told, letting the cloak fall behind him. Some of his hair had come across his shoulder during the move, and he tossed it back behind his head carelessly. Sakura noticed the pony tail holder had lowered enough to be almost too loose, and suddenly she had the strangest urge to rip it out and run her hands through the man's hair.

It must have been a natural Uchiha trait to have perfect hair, and Itachi had definitely exceeded expectations on that level. She would never be able to achieve the shine and pristine of his hair no matter what products she used.

It wasn't just his hair that was perfect though. His face was that of a heart breaker. The lines crossing down his eyes and cheeks only helped to intensify his beauty rather than deter it. Not only that, but he had lovely eyes, with long lashes almost like a girls.

Sakura hadn't had the privilege of meeting Sasuke's parents before they died, but she would have to bet Itachi shared a lot of physical traits with his mother. When he smiled, there had to be his mother or his father shining through somewhere.

"Haruno?"

Sakura came out of her thoughts, watching Itachi's hand wave in front of her face. She blushed, realizing she'd been caught in her stupor.

"I'm sorry Itachi. I was just thinking."

"Tell me."

It was often Itachi engaged in conversation with her, let alone that he demand something from her, but she wasn't sure how she'd take her question.

Her hesitancy caught his interest, making him all the more curious about what she'd been thinking. The girl was never one to hold back her thoughts, even toward him. Whatever she had been thinking about must have been on a more personal level, something she was the least uncomfortable with. It intrigued him to know what could make her feel that way, and while he knew he shouldn't push he couldn't deny that he wanted to know.

He wanted to know this girl, Haruno Sakura. She was such a contradiction, and then at times he could read her so easily. She wanted to bring Sasuke back, and return to how things were. Then she would turn around and say she wanted things to change, and she needed to grow stronger for her team. Team effort was important, but she wanted to do things alone.

Then she would turn around and throw him off again, by standing in the Uchiha compound alone. He'd seen the way she looked at him, how she'd actually wanted him to go inside. It was almost as if she thought it would heal him in a way.

Did she not remember who caused the emptiness in the Uchiha compound?

He hadn't wanted to step foot inside that house, because he didn't know what he would do if he had. Letting her see that would be the end of his charade. He missed a lot about the life he'd once had in Konoha, but walking into that house again would not heal him.

It would have broken him, in front of her. He wouldn't let her know the truth; he wouldn't let anyone know the truth.

The kunoichi in front of him had the uncanny ability to see something deeper inside him, something he'd kept buried for a long time. It had become more difficult to hide, since he'd been given more time on this earth by her hand.

If she hadn't healed him, he'd certainly be dead by now. He'd been leading Sasuke toward him subtly, and preparing to end his life by his little brother's hand before the sickness did it for him.

He'd never imagined he'd still be breathing today, and that revelation had both terrified and thrilled him. All because of the girl in front of him, his little brothers former teammate.

Sakura breathed in, deciding it was easier to talk to him while she busied herself with something else. She placed her hands on his shirt, pushing her chakra into his chest to search out his lungs.

"What were your parents like?"

She was Itachi's eyes widen a fraction before returning to their normal calculated gaze.

"My mother was a very caring and compassionate person. She enjoyed peace, and liked to avoid conflict if ever possible. Sasuke favors her more than I in looks, but he has received much of his personality from our father."

Sakura noticed Itachi's tone change at the mention of his father. It was almost disdain, like he didn't really want to bring him up.

Sakura's own father was a very bubbly man, much like Naruto. She couldn't imagine ever hating him or even yelling at him. She was close to her mother as well, but she and her father had every special relationship. It was just hard for her to imagine anyone having a bad relationship with their fathers.

"Fugaku Uchiha was sterner then most, and upheld his principles strictly. He wasn't very lenient on issues of education or strength. That's why he didn't show much affection, and gave very little praise."

Sakura met his eyes, feeling like she should say something but was unable to. What do you say to something like that?

"Despite all his flaws, our father had nothing but love for Sasuke. I could see it, even when Sasuke thought it wasn't there. He'd always had his father's attention."

Sakura slowly withdrew her chakra from Itachi's body, leaving her hands on his chest.

"What about you?" She asked, hesitantly.

Itachi raised his hand to her face, moving a stray strand behind her ear. Sakura held perfectly still, taking notice of their proximity to each other. She was very nearly in his lap, and he seemed to have no qualms with that.

What did that mean? Did it even mean anything? She should move.

Before she could do so Itachi had moved his hand down her neck, touching the back of it lightly. She could feel his thumb moving against her skin, like it was the most natural thing in the world to be doing so.

"I was a means to an end." Itachi whispered, laying his forehead against hers. The sigh he breathed out caressed her mouth, and she forgot how to breathe.

Then a loud snore broke through the camp, breaking the moment immediately.

Sakura stumbled back, knocking over most of her medical supplies she'd layed out so neatly. Itachi didn't look nearly as bothered, but he was starting to get up.

"Um everything looks healthy, so that's good. Your eyes are healing better than I'd thought, so tomorrow I'd like to start working with your Sharingan on if that's alright." She fumbled, putting all of her medical supplies back into her bag as she spoke.

Itachi nodded, walking a short distance away from her to settle against a tree. He leaned back against it and pulled his cloak over his form easily. When he finished his gaze returned to her, and she looked away quickly, focusing on her bag again.

Once everything was tucked neatly inside she slid it around her shoulders and moved clear across the camp, lying on the ground not too far from Kisame's form.

She didn't know what she was acting this way. It wasn't as if Itachi had really done anything…or was planning to. She was being stupid and overreacting for nothing.

But still…

Another snore rumbled through the camp and Sakura closed her eyes, hoping that she would at least be able to catch a little sleep before they had to move on.

"Haruno."

She didn't bother moving, or opening her eyes. "Yeah?"

"Training will begin tomorrow morning."

"Ok." She whispered.

…SNORE!

It was going to be a long night.

Xoxoxo

**I was planning on putting in a little more to this chapter, but I wanted to get this out to you guys ASAP because I feel like it's been forever since the last update. **

**I'm sure you already know the deal with grammar/spelling. I did go through a lot more than usual on this one, but knowing me I missed a bunch still. Please try to overlook it, and I will continue to keep checking to the best of my ability. **

**Just in case some of you were wondering why Kisame didn't react too badly at Sakura's appearance, I'd like to clarify that between Sakura going and filling out the request and her meeting up with Itachi at night, Itachi went and informed Kisame they would be traveling with her. I didn't know if I'd done a good enough job of making it seem like that was what happened, so just in case you still needed/wanted to know or something…**

**On that same note I'd like to also go ahead and say that while it may seem Sai accepted Sakura's excuse easily, it was merely as a display of trust in their friendship (because he had no desire to harm that friendship in any way). For now, he wishes to place faith in her. It wasn't an easy decision for him. **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review! Thanks!**


	10. Where The Road Takes You

"Your movements are ever predictable, kunoichi. How do you expect to defeat anyone like that?"

He'd been heckling her all morning. Ever since the beginning of her morning training session with Itachi, Kisame had been sitting atop the nearest tree hurling insults at her. Itachi had allowed it, merely for the fact that is was supposed to help her learn focus.

Chakra control required intense focus and mental training. She'd gone through that training with flying colors, surpassing Lady Tsunade.

Yet she couldn't block out this blue idiot!

"I don't have to take advice from someone who lost to Gai sensei twice!"

"Why you little…"

Finally she'd gotten a reaction from him. Ha!

"Oof!"

Sakura fell to the ground, clutching her shoulder. Itachi stood overtop her, obviously unhappy with her inability to dodge the kick. She had been too distracted to see it coming.

"Stupid Kisame…" She cursed, standing up again. This wasn't the first time she'd been knocked flat on her back by Itachi, and not all of those times had been Kisame's fault. Even when she was fully focused, Itachi was just too fast to follow. Predicting his movements wasn't easy, and speed wasn't on her side. He had her right where he wanted her at all times.

And he wasn't even using his Sharingan!

"Well that was impressive!" Kisame laughed, slamming his hand against the trunk of the tree he was sitting on. The girls face was priceless. Itachi wasn't taking it easy on her, that much was for sure.

This relieved Kisame, for many reasons. His partner didn't have relations with anyone save himself. This girl was just a passing interest, one that would eventually fade with time. Once Itachi was fully healed, he would have no more use for the girl. If the kid wasn't so honorable he would say that Itachi could kill her after her usefulness was over, but he knew him better than that. He would uphold the bargain they shared, and she would be allowed to return home.

Well…if she could still call it home that is.

The devastation Pain would leave in his wake would crumble Konoha. There would be no village left for her to return to. The girl would return to a place that no longer existed.

She would no doubt crumble without her precious village. Without her home, she would have nothing to hold her together. Kisame could see right through her. The girl would lose herself and fall into darkness. She was just that kind of person.

'_No matter who you are, you do not know what kind of human you are until the very end. One realized their true nature at the moment of death. ' _

Kisame growled, forcing the words Itachi had once said from his head. His partner was very wrong on that fact. He'd seen so many times what type of person people were, and they never faltered from that in death. Cowards were cowards, villains were villains, and heroes were heroes. The kunoichi would be no different. Just as he would be no different.

"Don't patronize me fish face!"

Kisame layed his hand on the Samahada, wanting so badly to rip the girl to shreds. She wouldn't stand a chance against him. It would only take one slice and…

"That is enough Haruno, Kisame."

Itachi stepped forward between them, his Sharingan finally active. His stare was directed toward Kisame however, a warning against the hand laying on the Samahada.

Kisame grinned. His partner knew him well, but the threat was not necessary. He knew better than to touch the Uchiha's interest. He wouldn't challenge his partner over something so trivial.

"If you're finished here I'll scout ahead." Kisame's gaze shifted to Sakura, and his grin grew. "Try not to injure yourself while I'm away girl. I might start to enjoy having you around."

Sakura grit her teeth, watching him jump from the tree and leave. The man was insufferable! How did Itachi deal with him on a regular basis? From her experience and knowledge of the two they worked together very well. How could two people like that complement each other so well?

Then again, hadn't that been a similar case with team seven?

Sasuke had been the strongest ninja in the class, and his temperament was always so calm and calculated. His polar opposite, Naruto, was a knucklehead with the worst marks. Placing them on the same team had been like mixing oil and water at first. Adding her into the mix didn't make matters any better. She annoyed Sasuke, and hated Naruto. All three of them should not have been able to mold together so perfectly and yet they had been such a perfect team when push came to shove.

Astoundingly enough they had found that same 'click' with Sai later on. Someone who at first made it impossible to work with him, but in the end was the perfect match after all.

Itachi and Kisame were much like Sasuke and Naruto had been. Still, it was the rivalry between her teammates that kept them so close. Itachi didn't seem to have that with Kisame. It was more that they had a mutual understanding of some kind. She couldn't quite call it friendship, but it was close enough.

Did friendship even exist among Akatsuki members?

Shikamaru had once gotten into a conversation with her about such notions. He'd inferred that each member had an understanding with their partner, and merely worked together for a common goal. They had no attachments with their partners, and would risk nothing if the other were to be captured or killed.

Of course he'd developed this theory based only on Hidan and Kakuzu. Those two were…less reliable in that area of study.

Sakura had seen a little of the interaction between Deidara and Sasori, and while it had seemed at first as if the two were more often at odds with each other than not, she could also see that under the surface Deidara had a lot of admiration for Sasori. The two had been a great team, so it would be easy to infer that they had been friends of some sort.

"Would you care to enlighten me on what's bothering you?"

Sakura blushed, realizing she'd once again let herself be caught in thought in front of Itachi. That habit really had to stop.

"It's nothing really." After last nights…whatever that was, she didn't really feel the need to bring up more questions. The less talk to better really.

Itachi didn't seem convinced however.

"Your eyes narrow when your thoughts are troubling you."

Sakura frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. To notice that quirk of hers, he would have had to be paying close attention to her. What else had he discovered about her? Why would he bother watching her anyways?

"You are doing it again."

She started to open her mouth, to yell at him, but stopped when she noticed the look he was giving her.

He was amused…and smiling. If you didn't have any experience an Uchiha you wouldn't be able to tell, but she could. His smile was small, but it reached his eyes. It was real, and directed toward her.

He looked so much younger when he smiled.

"Just forget it." She murmured.

It wasn't worth ruining that smile over.

"All is clear ahead!" Kisame landed with a thud behind them. "It'll be a good three hours before we reach the nearest town."

Sakura lifted her bag from the ground, moving it onto her shoulder. She hadn't expected Kisame to mention anything about a town. He hadn't seen so determined yesterday to stop anytime soon. Hadn't they wanted to reach Kumogakure as soon as possible?

"Are we going to be stopping there?" Sakura questioned.

Kisame glanced toward Itachi. His black eyes briefly flickered to her before he shook his head, silencing whatever Kisame was going to say.

"We will be stopping at the nearest town for a short while. There is a matter Kisame and I must attend to before we continue."

Itachi could see the girl wished to question them further, but it would not be wise to tell her what they had to do. He hadn't been prepared to do a sealing when the girl was coming along, but Pain had made it a matter of upmost importance. With so few members left, all had to contribute this time. That meant both he and Kisame would have to have a secure location to perform the jutsu, and no one around to interrupt them.

So long as Sakura was not aware that they were sealing the six tails, she would not interfere. It was a matter of choosing his words carefully.

He was more than sure that after this sealing, the eight tails would come before the capture of Naruto. This mission would buy time; time enough to come up with a plan. Once the eight tails capture is complete, there would be nothing left to distract from Naruto Uzumaki.

He wondered just what Sakura would do then.

What would he do?

Xoxoxo

"The message has been decoded, but it doesn't mean anything if we don't have any further information."

Shikamaru sighed, keeping his hands in his pockets. Tsunade was frustrated, but her insistence on speed would get them nowhere. The autopsy on the body of Pein would take a while longer, and Inoichi was presently having no luck in finding information on the Akatsuki. The message was useful, but there were several ways it could be taken.

The most likely meaning behind the message was that there was a seventh Pein, but how was that one controlling the others? Were they all separate entities, did they have minds of their own? If they were being controlled they more than likely wouldn't have minds of their own, but then how could one person control six others at a time?

Mulling it over didn't help in the slightest. The autopsy would be the only hope for that question. The Rain ninja probably wouldn't have any information as deep as that.

"We need more time to sort through the information."

"We don't have time!" Tsunade barked, slamming her hands on her desk. "The enemy could be planning an attack on us, and we need to be prepared if that happens."

"Speeding up the process could lead to an oversight. Against an enemy this strong we can't afford that. All information must be accurate."

Shikamaru stepped forward, laying a sheet of paper on the Hokage's desk. Tsunade glanced at it, feeling her frustration rise.

"As if I don't have enough to worry about."

"I did say we should consider all variables. The Akatsuki's main objective is to capture tailed beast, and we've gathered that they send two man teams to do so." Shikamaru layed his hand on the picture at the top of the page, trailing it down. "In theory each member would be assigned a tailed beast. I believe that Naruto also has a designated Akatsuki member."

"Come out with it Shikamaru."

He nodded, laying his hand on the last two pictures.

"I recall that two Akatsuki members came into this village years ago, and Jiraiya fought them off. They were here for Naruto. That means that Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha are assigned to capture Naruto." He removed his hand, backing away. "It is _possible_ that these two will try again. They did make an appearance on Team Sevens last mission didn't they?"

"They made no move to capture Naruto." Tsunade argued.

"I'm not saying that they _will_ show, I'm just saying we should be prepared for if they do. Jiraiya isn't here any longer to deter them. Without Pain they are a formidable threat. If they attack alongside Pain, then I'm sure the outcome will not be in our favor."

Tsunade nodded, folding her hands together. Shikamaru made a very valid point, one that couldn't be ignored. With most of the members dead, she'd forgotten to worry about the involvement of the elder Uchiha and his partner. With all eyes on Pain they had been overlooked.

"What are you suggesting then, Shikamaru?"

"Send a small team out to track and detain, if necessary, the two remaining Akatsuki members."

Tsunade stood, looking down at the sheet Shikamaru had layed on her desk. The layout of Akatsuki information was depicted, even those who were defeated. Shikamaru's reasoning was nothing short of perfect, but it was dangerous to send out more shinobi when they faced a possible attack. It was a gamble.

"I am already sending out Yamato, Sai, and Anko to track down Kabuto. They will be leaving the village today. Gai's team is away as well, and you would have me send more ninja to observe a possibility?"

Shikamaru remained silent.

Tsunade sighed, cooling her temper. It was never best to talk to Shikamaru when she was angry. He was only trying to do what was best for the village, just like her.

"I will have Sai search for both Kabuto and the two Akatsuki members. He is familiar with double missions, and this will allow for no more absences from the village. That is all I can do until we receive more information."

Shikamaru nodded. "Thank you."

Tsunade sat back down, laying her head in her hands.

'_Oh Jiraiya…why can't you be here now?'_

Xoxoxo

Sakura always hated Inns.

The beds were always lumpy, the showers were cold a lot of the time, and the chances of getting attacked by surprise here were greater than in the forest. Kakashi had always preferred camping outside whenever possible, so she'd followed in his way of thinking.

Itachi and Kisame however, did not.

"This is much better than sitting on rocks all night." Kisame murmured, settling on the bed closest to the door.

Itachi sat on the bed directly beside Kisame's, pulling his feet up to sit cross legged. Even though he didn't voice it, Sakura could see that he felt the same as Kisame. His face visibly relaxed as he settled into the mattress, the stress draining from his face within seconds. It was miraculous.

Sakura layed her hand on the bed Itachi resided on, pushing down. It was hard and lumpy, just as she'd predicted. Yet Kisame and Itachi didn't seem the least bit deterred.

She hadn't thought she could be _that_ right in her earlier assumption. I mean sure the Akatsuki might not have a place to call home, but surely they didn't camp out in caves all the time or just sleep under the stars. Did they?

"Haruno."

"Yeah?"

Itachi folded his hands in an unfamiliar sign, and she watched Kisame do the same. The business they had to take care of, could it possibly be a jutsu of some sort? What did it do?

"Kisame and I will be detained for the rest of the day. I would ask that you do not disturb us unless there is an emergency." Itachi replied, looking over to his partner. Kisame already had his eyes shut, and seemed oblivious to the two of them.

Then the jutsu was one that required focus. Perhaps it was a communication of some sort.

"Will I be allowed to leave the Inn?"

"Do not stray too far. It would be best if you could return before nightfall."

Itachi watched Sakura grab the key to the Inn room and nod at him. He knew she wouldn't try anything, but it didn't hurt to be wary. No one from the Akatsuki had started the communication jutsu in the presence of another shinobi. It wasn't that they were completely helpless while the jutsu was active, but the awareness of the real body was dulled significantly.

The one tailed Shukaku had taken three days to seal, with the full Akatsuki participation. The six tailed beast would take at least four days, if not longer. Pain would allow for the absence of Kisame and himself to hunt the eight tails, but first day participation would be mandatory. It was always the most difficult part of the sealing jutsu.

He gave a nod in return to the kunoichi and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was standing on the finger of a giant statue, looking down at the body of the six tailed Jinchuuriki. Kisame was a short distance away, standing on another finger. Then of course there was Zetsu, Pain, Konan, and the man who had dubbed himself Tobi. Itachi felt his disdain growing as he stared at the true leader of the Akatsuki.

"Now that all of us are here," Pain began, moving his hands together to form the seal. "Let us begin the sealing of the six tails."

Itachi felt Sakura leave the room in the back of his awareness. She would be alright, as long as she stayed close to the Inn. It was probably best that she leave anyways. His concentration wouldn't be so split with her out of the room.

Kisame nodded in his direction, signifying he'd felt her presence disappear as well.

Itachi breathed in, and closed his eyes.

Xoxoxo

Sakura stood outside the Inn, slipping the key into her pocket. Despite being given permission to leave the Inn, she wasn't quite sure just what to do. Or what she could do.

Itachi and Kisame had both placed on henge on themselves upon arrival, which meant that they assumed the people here had knowledge about the Akatsuki. If that were true, then there had to be at least some ninja living around here. It wouldn't be a good idea to draw attention to herself, especially since she had to return to a room with two criminals.

This village was close to Oto, in the direction of lightning country but at the same time being a part of Sound. Tsunade preferred only to send shinobi in this direction if there was a strict need to. Despite Orochimarus death, the area was still very dangerous and unpredictable. The Raikage of course took care of the Sound ninja who came into Lightning Country, but the ones further South in her area roamed free.

Not exactly the type of place you'd want to take a pit stop in. certainly not where she'd perform a jutsu that left her nearly defenseless.

"Oh well. They obviously know what they are doing."

Sakura took one last look at the Inn behind her before heading toward the center of the town. She hid her forehead protector in her pack, just in case any other shinobi were around to notice. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case.

"Oh what a lovely young lady."

Sakura stopped mid stride, turning to face an elderly lady. She was short, with virtually no hair and a face that looked wise. Her eyes were the most striking feature, being a shocking orange color. She'd never seen anyone with orange eyes before.

"Why thank you ma'am." Sakura replied, unsure of what to say.

The elderly woman smiled, revealing only three teeth in her mouth. Sakura had to stop herself from cringing; reminding herself that she wasn't Naruto. Naruto was disrespectful to the elderly, not her!

"Pink hair is such a rarity. I don't believe I've ever seen hair like yours child. Tell me is it natural?"

Sakura nodded, wondering if she should indulge in conversation or not. It couldn't hurt right? This lady wasn't a ninja, or she'd of felt a stronger chakra by now. No, she was just being paranoid.

"Yes ma'am. I was born with pink hair."

"Must be difficult for your profession."

Sakura stilled, narrowing her eyes. The old lady laughed, shaking her head back and forth. Sakura layed her hand on her pack, ready to pull out a kunai at the last second.

"Calm down young lady. We don't get to many visitors in this town, and young ladies especially. You would have to be a shinobi to come here alone." The lady smiled again, leaning forward with her cane. "Besides, you aren't as dainty as the girls around here. You look as if you can hold your own."

Sakura didn't know if she should feel insulted or happy with that comment.

"I didn't come to cause a disturbance." Sakura murmured, lowering her hand. She thought against telling the lady she hadn't come alone. Itachi and Kisame were best kept secret after all.

"I believe you sweetheart. No need to be tense around me." The lady lowered herself onto the bench behind her, patting the spot to her left. "Come sit. It's not often I get to talk to people outside this town."

Sakura took the spot beside her, laying her hands in her lap.

"Oh how rude of me, I forgot my manners. My name is Yana Hitsugy." Yana announced, laying her hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Sakura Haruno."

"The name is lovely, but I wonder if it suits you."

Sakura frowned, giving Yana a look. She'd heard multiple times how the named suited her because of her hair color. In fact, no one had ever said her name hadn't suited her.

"I'm sorry Yana-san, but I fail to see how the name does not suit me."

Yana layed both her hands on her cane, staring into the distance. "I believe one day you will come to understand what I mean."

Sakura sighed, disappointed with the reply given. Why did the elderly always have to put things in riddles?

"Are you here on a mission of some sort?"

"Not exactly." Sakura replied, raising her head up. "I'm on a journey of self-discovery you could say."

Yana laughed, holding her stomach as if it pained her to.

"My dear…" another laugh, "You sound as if you are unsure about your situation."

Sakura scowled. "Perhaps I am."

Yana forced herself to stop laughing, but the smile was still plastered to her face.

"Then why don't you face whatever makes you unsure?"

"Because I'm relying on what makes me unsure." Sakura replied, closing her eyes. She doubted even the elderly lady beside her would have an answer for that. She couldn't find an answer on how to deal with her confusion around Itachi, or if she was even doing the right thing by training with him.

"When you rely on something, eventually it becomes a part of who you are. The only question is, are you scared of what you could become?"

Sakura hesitated, not sure how to answer that question. Would being aided by the enemy make her a criminal as well? Would she start thinking like Kisame? Would she want to defect from her village like Sasuke had?

She'd almost done it those many years ago. If Sasuke had asked she would have gone with him. She would have been a criminal right now, alongside Sasuke. Would she have been different from her usual self? Would she have hated the Akatsuki then? Would she have tried to understand Itachi Uchiha then?

Would it change her if she tried to understand him now?

That is what scared her the most. What if she found something deeper in the Uchiha, something that didn't make her hate him? He was already starting to seem just as human as she was. A part of her, a part that was steadily growing, was starting to get used to having him around. She'd even started to like having him near.

Would that fact change anything? Had it changed something already?

"Yes," Sakura replied.

"Then my advice to you is to trust yourself."

_"I have not asked you to forget the past, nor do I want you to. If you remember who I am, then that will help you to remember who you are. Your trust in me isn't necessary, it is trust in yourself that is."_

Sakura smiled, standing. The older lady and Itachi were both right. If she trusted herself, and remembered who she was then she wouldn't change. She could try to understand Itachi, and be true to herself at the same time. No matter what she would always be, first and foremost, a loyal Konoha shinobi.

"Thank you Yana-san. You've been very helpful." Sakura bowed.

"You're very welcome. I'm just glad you responded well to my advice. The one before you did not."

Sakura chuckled. "Really?"

"Oh yes." Yana replied, frowning. Sakura didn't like the look on the older ladies face. She looked much better smiling. "Some scantily clothed girl with bright red hair came by yelling out some boy's name. I told her that if she had to yell so loud he obviously didn't want her."

Sakura couldn't stop herself from laughing, picturing the scene that must have occurred. Yana did seem like that type of older person who would speak her mind about anything. Poor girl must have been so embarrassed.

"She left quite abruptly after that. I just hope this Sasuke fella got away in time."

Sakura froze.

_I just hope this Sasuke fella got away in time._

_This Sasuke fella…_

_Sasuke…_

"Sasuke was here?"

Yana stood, leaning heavily on her cane. "I'd assume so. Do you know him?"

"No." Sakura lied quickly, looking away.

If Sasuke had been here then they'd come close to running into him. Where was he headed? Would they be able to avoid him on the journey north, or would confrontation be unavoidable? Should she tell Itachi?

No, he'd said emergencies only. This wasn't an emergency yet.

She needed to know where he was going first.

If the red head had been here she would have left some kind of path to follow. She'd just follow that until she could find out where she'd met up with Sasuke. From there, she'd simply follow whatever trail she could. Any information would be worth the risk. She couldn't lose this chance.

She'd just have to be back before nightfall.

Xoxoxo

**A little late but here! I have posted! Been working a lot on this story (less on the other but I should post soon on that one). I have some great ideas on where I'm taking this and I'm excited for the next chapter! **

**As always I love hearing your thoughts/ideas/questions! Please keep them coming.**

**Also…THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME REACH 100 REVIEWS (actually over now…but you get it). This is a huge achievement for me and I'm so excited! Thank you!**

**Also I have been thinking about writing another story as soon as I'm finished with my Naru Saku. Any suggestions for the pairing? I have some ideas but I would like to have feedback. (ItaSaku and NaruSaku are not included.)**


	11. Out Past Curfew

She had always been the sensible one of the team; the one everyone knew would think things through before doing them.

Lately she hadn't been doing such a great job of that.

Following after Sasuke's trail was surprisingly easy, but the more difficult part would be staying out of sight once she found him. She knew next to nothing about his teammates, except the appearance of some of them, and if she knew Sasuke at all he would not have chosen weaklings to follow him.

He'd made that perfectly clear when he left her on that bench. She'd been such a weak little girl back then. Somehow, she didn't think he'd see her as anything different even now.

She would prove him wrong.

She halted on the nearest tree branch, leaning down to observe the peculiar mark on the trunk. It wasn't made by a kunai, that was for sure. The incision was too deep, and the outer edges to bold. A sword would be able to make this damage, but not an ordinary one. It had to be rather large, and thick.

Sasuke didn't carry a blade like that. The red haired girl might, but surely Yana would have mentioned something about it. A blade with this mark would have left an impression on anyone's mind.

It had to be a different teammate. If Intel was correct, that meant she had two other options. If she was discovered, and things got ugly, even her high level evasive maneuvers would be useless.

"Wait a second…"

Sakura surveyed the trees ahead, noticing nicks in the trunks of some of those as well. The same deep marks as the one beside her. All were headed in the same general direction, and that could only mean one of two things.

One: The sword user like to boast about their obvious power, and decided maiming tree trunks was the best way to go about that during travel.

Two: This was a trap, and she was already caught in it or very close to being caught.

How did they know she was following them? Granted she wasn't the stealthiest ninja, but she was no amateur either. Sasuke's Sharingon couldn't detect her like that…so then how?

More importantly, what to do now? If Sasuke did know it was her following them he would have either faced her full frontal immediately, or refused to leave a trace for her to follow. Seeing as neither of those were true, it would be possible that he had no idea who was following them. Perhaps she was thinking too much and he truly didn't know someone was following him. Option one was still out in the open.

Shikamaru would scold her for being presumptuous. The two of them always thought out each individual option, and then decided on the most likely based on that. She and the lazy genius worked well as a team because of that. Forgetting an option was like courting death.

Naruto would have simply kept going, ignoring all the warning signs in favor of catching up to Sasuke. Now would be the perfect time to go after him, especially if they didn't seem it coming. He would have never wasted this chance.

This was the chance of a lifetime. She could break past his barrier of followers and come right at him!

'_No!' _Sakura clenched her fist, shaking her head. Her purpose was to know where they were going, so she could avoid them later. Now wasn't the time to take him on. Itachi told her to be patient, and here she was pretending like she was ready to face Sasuke now.

Would she ever be ready?

An image of Itachi suddenly filled Sakura mind. An image of him standing over a small Sasuke with a sick smile on his face.

He had agreed almost too easily to teach her how to fight. He knew her reasoning, and he agreed despite that. All he'd been teaching her though were basic fighting techniques, weapon techniques, evasion techniques, and how to get out of tight situations. When she'd asked to learn something harder, he'd simply told her she wasn't ready yet.

More than that, he had yet to teach her anything about defense against the Sharingan, besides the trick of having her eyes closed. This training was specifically for that, and he'd known that going in. He'd known that in revealing his brothers weaknesses, he would be revealing some of his own as well.

Why would someone who murdered his own clan, want to help her bring back the only member he didn't kill? The one he might still intend to kill.

The deal, was it really too good to be true? Had she fallen into Itachi's deception?

Itachi's condition had been fatal. He'd been dying, and it wouldn't have been long. If he'd been intending to kill Sasuke then, any attempt would have ended in failure. She'd healed him…she'd given him the power to finish off the last member of the Uchiha clan.

She'd essentially given him the power to finish off her teammate…no, BOTH her teammates.

Sakura felt a fierce pain in her chest. She fell to her knees against the branch, breathing unevenly. It was like someone had gripped her heart with an icy palm, slowly squeezing, then releasing, and then squeezing again. The fierce bind continued until she thought she'd burst from the pressure.

She knew immediately that she was experiencing a panic attack. It had been so long since it'd happened, since her first days working in the hospital. Tsunade had gotten her through the first, and she hadn't had one since.

'_Breath Haruno. You have to calm yourself down. You are hyperventilating.'_

Gradually she felt the pain in her chest lesson, and her hands ceased their shaking. Her vision spun for a moment, luckily though she was kneeling. A fall from this distance would do a lot of damage.

"_There you go again. Considering just one option in a sea of hundreds." _The image of Shikamaru frowned at her, his cigarette gleaming in the darkness of her mind._ "Formulate an idea, explore the options, and then make your conclusion. You're smarter than this Sakura."_

_"Do you want to go inside?" _

_"As I said before, this place is no longer my home. I have no desire to revisit the memories made here."_

Sakura's hand slid down from her chest, falling limp at her side.

'_No. I saw the way he was looking at that house. And the way he talked about his mother. That wasn't a criminal talking.' _Sakura closed her eyes, trying to piece together everything in her mind. She simply couldn't figure out the Uchiha. What were his motives? Would it be possible to even ascertain his plans? Would he answer her if she asked?

Perhaps she should go back and confront him now. Sasuke's whereabouts could wait.

"Well well well, you were right Karin. That sensory crap comes in handy."

She barely had time to jump to the nearest tree before the branch she'd occupied was sliced apart. Her landing was shaky, but she straightened out in time to dodge another attack headed her way.

This time she landed on the ground, looking up at her enemy. A white haired boy, probably her age, with the…no…it couldn't be!

The Executioners Blade. That was Zabuza's sword, the sword of one of the Seven Ninja Swordsman.

What was this kid doing with that sword?!

"Don't call my abilities crap Suigetsu! If you hadn't left such a sloppy trail no one would have been able to follow us in the first place!"

Sakura met the red eyes of a kunoichi; the one Yana had spoken of. By Suigetsu's words she was a sensory type. Despite that it didn't look like they had laid out a trap. This was just a full confrontation, between her and the two of them. Sasuke didn't seem to be with them.

"Why are you following us?" Suigetsu asked, shoving his sword into the branch under him. Sakura felt a spark of rage fill her at the sight of that sword in unfamiliar hands.

"Why do you have Zabuza's sword?" Sakura shot back.

The boy laughed, swinging his sword in the air much like it was a toy. "You know of Zabuza-senpai. I'm intrigued."

"He was a good shinobi. He helped make Naruto the person he is today."

Suigetsu frowned, his fang lying on his lower lip. "Naruto…why does that sound so familiar."

"It's the brat who used to be on Sasuke's team." The red headed girl chimed in. "Considering you know about Zabuza, and his influence on a former teammate of Sasuke's, that must make you the other teammate. A four man cell is standard after all, with one female on each team. Kakashi the copy ninja, Naruto, and this girl made up Sasuke's former team."

Suigetsu smirked, jumping down to land beside Karin. "What a surprise. You don't suppose she's alone out here do you?"

Sakura frowned, laying her hand above her kunai pouch. Suigetsu's eyes followed her hand, and she watched him clench the Executioners Blade tighter.

"If she came with anyone they aren't nearby. We have the upper hand."

"Are you so sure about that?" Sakura spat. It wasn't a wise idea to goad the two teammates, but they were really pissing her off. The white haired brat was just a grave robber with an attitude, and the red head…

She'd just an idiot.

Still, her words made one thing clear. The fact that she knew Naruto's name and Kakashi's, but not hers, meant that Sasuke never bothered talking about his old team much. More than that, he never spoke of her at all.

That hurt more then she could say.

"I am sure," Karin replied. "Sasuke chose us as his team because we were the better choice. You were just a weak chain binding him to a pathetic village."

It was an instant, one blinding flash of rage, and Sakura acted. Karin was launched twenty feet back, slamming into the first oak tree in her path. Her body dropped down to the ground, and Sakura could see that she'd broken some of the girl's ribs in that punch.

By the blood dripping from her mouth too, it was possible she also caused some internal bleeding. The medic in her called to rescue, but the rage caged it in, calling for more blood.

"Sasuke!" The girl screamed out, gripping her side.

Sakura's pursuit was cut short when Suigetsu came running right at her. She ducked out of the path of the Executioners Blade just in time, twisting her legs enough to kick at Suigetsu's feet from her position. Her aim hit its mark, but instead of the boy falling, her legs just slid right through his.

'_A water clone? No it can't be, the clone wouldn't be so stable after that hit.'_

Suigetsu smirked, taking advantage of her momentary shock and sending her flying with a chakra induced kick of his own.

Sakura hit the ground rolling, coming to a stop ten feet away. Her chest was burning; a result of what was more than likely a broken rib of her own. She'd long since taught herself how to prevent petty injuries like that by channeling healing chakra through her body before an attack landed. If one managed to break her bone even with that protection, it had to be chakra induced.

Sakura pushed herself up on her hand, staring at Suigetsu's right leg. It was much larger than the left, much like the arm that was holding Zabuza's sword. He'd made his muscles expand, most likely by compressing the water in his body to his arm. If her attack earlier meant anything, then this kid was practically made out of water. If he could control his body to that extent, then he would be a formidable foe.

It also meant that a direct attack would be useless. How do you defeat an opponent you can't touch?

'_If I could just figure out his molecular structure or at the very least see if he actually bleeds. If I can't wound him with normal methods, perhaps I could break him apart with a paper bomb.'_

"Suigetsu stop wasting time and kill her!" Karin screamed, using a tree for balance as she stood.

Suigetsu frowned, glaring back at the girl. "Shut up Karin! Don't forget I'm the only thing standing between you and this girl right now."

_Thunk!_

Suigetsu froze, looking down at the dangerous weapon by his feet.

"Paper bomb!"

Sakura scrambled behind the closest tree just as the bomb exploded. She couldn't hear anything behind her, which was a really good sign. It would at least buy her enough time to work on her ribs. With that hindrance gone she could get away more easily.

Sakura layed her palm on her chest, sending healing chakra into her system. There was no time to numb the pain, so she placed her free hand in her mouth to stifle any noise she made.

"What are you doing here?!"

Suigetsu's voice. He'd survived the attack then. was he unscathed though?

"The two of you were late. We continued on, knowing the two of you would catch up soon enough."

That voice wasn't familiar. The third member of Sasuke's team had shown up then.

Sakura leaned over slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of what was going on behind the tree. From what she could see it looked like Suigetsu had managed to survive her attack, without injury. The red head was unconscious though, and in the arms of the newest arrival. He must have come as the bomb went off and grabbed her then. He was a fast one.

Suigetsu alone was a handful, but this new member was an unknown threat. All the more reason to make a stealthy retreat.

"Where did the girl go?"

Sakura tensed, moving her hand away from her mouth. The healing chakra ceased, flowing back into her hand.

"You were fighting someone then. I didn't see anyone else."

"Yeah some pink haired brat who used to be one of Sasuke's teammates. She took Karin out with one kick. You don't suppose that bomb took her out."

Sakura rolled her eyes. If he assumed that then he was truly a fool. Good thing the girl was unconscious. It wouldn't do to have her location revealed. Better they assume her dead then start to look for her now.

"I doubt it. She probably took that opportunity to escape." Sakura watched Suigetsu glance around like he was intending to search. She quickly moved back behind the tree to escape his notice. "Sasuke wants us to keep moving. We don't have time to search her out now."

"Fine."

Two sets of footsteps kicked off the ground, moving farther and farther from her location. When she couldn't hear them any longer she stood, running off in the opposite direction as fast as her legs would carry her. Her ribs still hurt with the effort, but it was a necessary pain. She could heal them properly once she was back in town.

More than once she thought she heard someone following her, but upon a glance back there was no one. The adrenaline was making her imagination run wild.

"Just a little farther…" She could make out the little sign pointing toward the direction of the village now. It wouldn't be long until she hit the entrance and-

Sign. There hadn't been a sign there before!

"Genjutsu!"

Sakura thrust her feet into the ground, trying to turn in time to face her attacker. An abrupt pressure against the back her neck stopped her short.

Darkness began to cloud her vision, and she was faintly reminded of a similar situation. That time when he left her on that bench. It was the same. This was the same. He'd found her.

"Sasuke…"

She knew nothing more.

Xoxoxoxo

Astral Projection always made him feel so disoriented. Kisame had admitted to the same, but he knew that his situation was slightly different. Kisame had a habit of focusing solely on the sealing and those around him in non-corporal form.

He on the other hand focused on both those things, and then on his real surroundings, where his real body dwelled in possible danger. Focusing on three things at once was always tiresome, but when your body is detached from your awareness, it is an entirely different circumstance.

It was force of habit to watch his back constantly. By his partners urging he'd grown accustomed to sometimes loosening up in Kisame's presence. This jutsu however, was disconcerting. He would never be able to let up when performing with his astral body.

Aside from that, he had Sakura Haruno to worry over now. He'd been awaiting her return for several hours now, and each time he checked in on his body she was not in the room. He'd told her to return by nightfall, and while he was disoriented he knew enough to tell that it was getting late.

Itachi closed his astral eyes, taking in a breath. He pulled back his senses from that body and pushed them back into his real body, feeling around the room he and Kisame shared with his chakra. Everything was untouched, and still the kunoichi had not returned.

Itachi directed his attention toward the window, this time forcing chakra toward his eye. It wasn't practical to try and move your real body whilst using an astral one at the same time, but there was no other way for him to be sure.

Quick as he could Itachi opened his eye and saw stars in the night sky outside.

Nightfall had come.

His eye slid closed and he returned to his astral form, opening his eyes there. They immediately connected with Kisame's own narrowed orbs. So he had also noticed that Sakura was late. The anger on his face was evidence on that. Kisame had less patience then most shinobi, and Sakura was certainly testing that patience.

He would have to be the one to go and retrieve her then.

As if knowing something was off Pain's eyes opened, connecting with Itachi's. It was his allowance to speak.

"The medic traveling with us has not returned. I would request permission to go after her."

Pain nodded. "You may retrieve the girl."

Itachi bowed his head slightly, a show of gratitude, before his form disappeared completely.

Kisame watched his partner disappear, wanting to go with him. The girl could use a beating, disobeying orders like that. If Itachi didn't give it to her, he would finish the job.

Kisame turned his attention back to the task at hand, but before he could go into meditation again a voice interrupted.

"Kisame."

The voice was much deeper than Pain's. It was similar to that of Zetsu, but he'd been around the plant…guy…thing?...to long to know that wasn't his voice.

Tobi stepped forward slightly, indicating he'd been the one to speak. Kisame's eyes widened slightly. He'd never known the boy to have such a deep voice, or act so controlled. It was like he was an entirely different person.

He turned to Pain, only to notice the man didn't seem perturbed by this sudden change in character at all. It was like he was used to it. Konan and Zetsu seemed to be on board as well, meaning he was the only one who was surprised by this.

Well, he and Itachi…unless Itachi knew as well. Would his partner keep something like this from him though?

"I think that it is time to tell you the truth Kisame," Tobi began. "Perhaps I should start with my name. I'm Madura Uchiha, leader of the Akatsuki."

"Madara Uchiha." Kisame grinned, shaking his head. What was this fool playing him for? Madara Uchiha died nearly a hundred years ago with his battle against the first Hokage. It wasn't unheard of for shinobi to live long lives, but to live that long….you would have to be Hidan…or Kakuzu…

Ok maybe it was possible. But why would the man wait to tell him like this? If he really was Madara Uchiha, and the supposed leader of the Akatsuki, why was he only just hearing about it? What was really going on here?

Another look at the man's mask and Kisame recalled a meeting with a strange person, after he'd taken the Samahada for himself. He'd thought Yagura had been speaking with him, but the man pulling the strings bore a striking resemblance to the person speaking with him now. Could this be the same person?

"I see you have remembered our brief encounter. What I tell you is nothing but the truth Kisame, and I am sorry it had to be held from you this long. You my most loyal member."

"Why are you telling me this now?" Kisame asked.

"I have a very special mission for you Kisame. One you are quite familiar with doing."

Kisame's eyes widened. He couldn't possibly mean…? No, he had to be imagining the possibility. His partner was a loyal member of the Akatsuki, and a good asset. Madara couldn't be asking him to do _that_.

"Why?"

Madara chuckled, a choked sound that made Kisame wince. He definitely preferred Tobi to this man. There was no semblance of good, or playfulness with this Madara Uchiha. His aura was threatening, and he truly believed that his word was absolute.

Men like that don't take no for an answer.

"You know your partner better than us all." Pain interrupted, his Rennigan piercing the darkness. "Deception is an art he's perfected."

"Itachi has been a loyal member of the Akatsuki for many years. What form of deception could seal his death?" Kisame argued. His voice had risen significantly, echoing through the cave.

"It isn't like you to hesitate and ask questions, Kisame." Madara added. If he could see under that mask he was sure he would be looking at him questioningly.

To be honest, he wasn't sure why he was acting this way. It _wasn't_ as if he hadn't done this before. It had been normal to dispose of his teammates, and he'd felt nothing in doing so.

But, he'd been with Itachi for many years now. The guy had stuck with him through thick and thin, and they'd formed somewhat of a bond. He'd learned a lot from the kid, and Itachi had come to somewhat depend on him too.

Deception was another way of calling Itachi a good liar, but in all the years he'd known the boy, Itachi had never once lied to him. He was always courteous, honest, and patient. Not exactly what you'd expect from an S Class criminal, but it had been refreshing. He'd always told himself he had the best partner out of all the teams. He truly had gotten lucky with the kid.

"I just want to know the reason why."

"Ask him yourself." Madara replied. "But don't stray from the mission Kisame. There is no room for failure."

Something didn't seem right, but, Madara wasn't playing around with this. Pain was on board with it too, meaning this mission really wasn't open for failure. It was either kill Itachi, or die trying.

"Why now?"

Pain looked over to Zetsu, who's astral form has his eyes closed, like he was concentrating. Something had transpired between them.

"Zetsu has informed me that the medic has been captured by Sasuke. Itachi will have to face his little brother to retrieve her, and while I have no doubt he will prevail in the battle, it will leave him weakened enough for you to finish him off." Pain looked to Madara, who nodded in his direction.

Kisame closed his eyes, releasing the sealing jutsu. "Very well."

"Good. You may begin your mission now."

Kisame nodded, feeling Pain release the jutsu on his body. As he began to fade he heard Madara's last words echo.

"Kill the medic as well."

Xoxoxo

Her head felt like he weighed fifty pounds. All her muscles were stiff as a board, and contracting painfully around her arms. There was a pressure against her back, but no spasms resulting from any internal cause.

She tested her body's movement, wincing as she felt a fierce pull in her shoulders. Her arms were behind her back then, restrained by some form of rope. Another tug confirmed that it wasn't rope, but wire. A tool Sasuke had used as a Genin in Konoha. Not something easily broken, but possible.

The wind was blowing, so she was still outside at least. Probably not to far from the confrontation zone either. The town was only a few miles back then.

"She's waking up Sasuke."

The red head, so she was awake too. The other two members were more than likely present also. Escape would be impossible with all four around.

Sakura opened her eyes, observing her surroundings. She'd been right in guessing her position, but one thing was clearly different.

"Nightfall…" A groan escaped her lips. "I'm late."

Sasuke kneeled down by her form, his Sharingan blazing. Sakura briefly wondered if he kept it on a lot like Itachi.

"Who are you here with?"

Sakura frowned. "What no hello? How have you been these past few years?"

"I won't ask again Sakura."

Arrogant jerk! He still thought she was weak. Assuming she hadn't come alone without proof.

Of course, she hadn't really come alone, but he didn't need to know that.

"I'm alone." She spat.

Sasuke shook his head, standing to full height. "I don't believe you. Regardless, you can tell me why you are here."

"I will tell you nothing." Sakura growled. The wires were cutting into her skin as she pulled, but it was a necessary pain. The closer to her body they were the better she could dice them. It would take time to channel her chakra properly though. Time she had to buy.

"Can I kill her?" Suigetsu asked, grinning wickedly. Sakura spat in his direction, making him scowl.

Sasuke didn't reply, instead moving his hand toward Sakura's face. She flinched when he touched her hair, and then berated herself for showing weakness like that.

"You're just the same." He whispered, touching the side of her face. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought it a loving gesture. But this wasn't the same Sasuke she knew in her Genin days. This Sasuke was an entirely different being.

"You don't know anything about me."

"Naruto can't be far behind if you are here. That saves me a lot of trouble."

'_Naruto? He can't…why would he want to see Naruto?'_

"What do you want with Naruto?!"

"Why are you in these lands?" Sasuke challenged.

"I'm training." Sakura relented, glancing off to the side. Just a little more and the wire would break. Just a little longer. "Alone. Tsunade gave me permission."

"I doubt she would allow you to stray so far for training alone." Sasuke smirked, returning his hand to his side. "You never were a convincing liar."

"Why do you want Naruto?"

"He's a means to an end."

Sakura froze, haunted by those words. Those same words Itachi had uttered…the way he felt about his father. He'd been nothing but a tool, used and abused. Did Sasuke intend to use Naruto in that same way? To use him and then toss him aside?

"I won't let you!" Sakura screamed. "You won't lay a hand on him!"

"Brave words, but they are useless coming from your mouth." Sasuke grinned. "You cannot stop me. I will have Naruto, or I will continue North after I've killed you. My purpose will still remain the same, regardless of who I use."

"Who you use...? What do you mean by that-"

"Sasuke!" Karin exclaimed. "Someone else is coming this way. Someone powerful. Half a mile, no, a quarter of a mile."

Sasuke turned to face the girl. "Is it Naruto?"

"No. The chakra signature isn't the same. It's closer to your-"

Sakura took this moment to break the wire, rushing past Sasuke before he could react. She knew who was coming this way. If she could just reach him in time.

A fierce impact hit her side, throwing her across the forest. She hit the ground not too lightly, gripping her already injured side as she gasped for breath. Only yards away was the large member of the group, the one she'd known would be a pain from the beginning. How had he moved so quickly, and with such force?

Sakura turned herself over quick enough to block the next attack, this time from Suigetsu. His foot landed where her head had been seconds ago.

She flipped over again, raising a kunai to block the large sword slamming down. What little chakra she had left was channeled into her arms, forcing the kunai to push further against the Executioners Blade. It wouldn't hold for much longer. The larger blade was better suited for battle than her kunai, and even now it was starting to cut into her own weapon. With a little extra pressure Suigetsu could cut through and hit her neck.

"Kill her Suigetsu!" She could hear Karin scream.

Sakura focused her chakra into her free palm, forming a chakra scalpel. Her remaining chakra removed from the kunai, Suigetsu's weapon ripped through. She barely managed to move her head, but the blade was right at her throat.

Without hesitating she plunged the scalpel into his hand, and to her surprise it went through! He was bleeding!

"You skank!" Suigetsu screamed, gripping his wrist. "I'll kill you!"

Sakura stood, scrambling backwards. Sasuke was coming toward her now, his Sharingan blazing. He'd certainly finish her off this time. There wasn't an escape.

_Plunk_. A kunai lodged into the tree behind Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes shifted to look at something behind her, or someone. His normally emotionless gaze now grew furious, and it was then that she knew what he was looking at. He'd finally arrived.

"Itachi."

Xoxoxo

**Sorry for late post! I received a review requesting longer chapters and was trying to make this one longer. It wasn't supposed to end at this spot but the longer I stared at the page the more I couldn't write. So I'm cutting off here and I will work on the next chapter. Makes for quicker post. A compromise if you will. **

**I'm trying to finish up NR so it might be a little wait before this one is updated again. Hopefully sooner than later. **

**Review! I love yours thoughts and ideas! They are great!**

**Oh and sorry for the grammar…I really was pressed for time. **


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